By the Light of the Moon
by Anidori-Kiladra
Summary: For years, Luna has had dreams that no one understands. Now, as her latest dream threatens to turn vision into reality, what will she do? Featuring the search for the Horcruxes, first kisses, true love, and the Rotfang Conspiracy.
1. Witch Dreams

By the Light of the Moon

Disclaimer: All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There are also random other references to other books, fanfic, TV shows, or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

Many thanks to Austin, my sometimes beta-type-person, for lack of a better word. And to Kelly, for getting me into fanfic in the first place.

Chapter 1: Witch Dreams

_The moon is full and bright, backlit by the pink glow of the coming dawn. A wolf's cry shatters the silent night air. All around the clearing, shadows break off from the deeper shadows behind them, weaving through the threads of light cast from the circle of flames until they are single entities once more. The werewolves stiffen as the pack song begins, drifting down as if from on high. As the sound grows nearer, they begin to sway as if in time to the music that would sound like eerie howling to most. At last he enters the clearing. A shiver of apprehension and excitement runs through the waiting watchers. He turns in a circle as if to take them all in, and then bares his teeth, waiting. As the moon slides into position below the horizon, the change begins again, or rather the reversal of the change. One by one, the wolves straighten until they are human once more. He grins an especially feral grin, even for him. "Soon," he says in reply to the unanswered question in everyone's eyes, his voice low and grating. "After a few more wanings of the moon." Then he turns to face her, and grins again. "Soon,"_

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She woke up, soaked in sweat. Her breathing harsh, she looked around at the familiar dormitory where she had slept for the past five years, at the blue velvet hangings that cocooned her and hid her from the view of the rest of the world. But she had decided long ago that she would not hide.

She pulled the hangings aside and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Elsa, Emma, and Anne were still asleep, as usual. Getting up, Luna pulled on a sweater over her nightgown and some thick wool socks. Although not as cold as the Slytherin dungeons, the floors of the Ravenclaw dormitories could still get cold in the winter. Sliding out the door, Luna headed for the common room, where she could analyze her dream in peace. Luna did not normally remember her dreams, or at least she had not for a very long time, and whenever she did remember them, they were not the silly and inconsequential dreams that everyone else seemed to have, dreams of showing up for a History of Magic test in only your undergarments, for example.

It had all started when she was nine years old. Her mother, an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries, had been working some delicate tests in the Death Chamber. The completion of these tests had led her mother, bored while waiting for another Ministry official to check her work, to begin fiddling with dream magic. Luna didn't know exactly what had happened. She had been hiding behind a tier of seats, as the Death Chamber was one of the rooms in the Department of Mysteries where she was not allowed, and she only felt a stream of magic hit her full force before she heard her mother's hasty gasp, which was just as hastily cut off. Dazed and somewhat dizzy from the force of the magic, Luna had crawled out just in time to see her mother fall backwards through the veil on the dais.

Although the rest of that day was a blur, Luna did remember that night, because that was when she'd stopped dreaming. Then, about a week later, she'd had the first, well, she supposed they could be called visions, but they seemed so much more real than anything that could be seen in a crystal ball or a pile of tea leaves. She'd told her father, but no one else, having no one else to tell it to. And the visions continued to come, not with any regularity, but every few months or so, Luna would awake drenched in sweat, with whatever scene she'd just witnessed still running through her head. Sometimes they were happy, sometimes sad. Sometimes they were about people she knew, and sometimes she had no idea who the players were. She'd given up long ago trying to tell others about what she saw, for her father only patted her distractedly on the head, and everyone else took it as yet another example of Luna's craziness.

But never before had the occupants of her visions acknowledged her presence, as she was sure the lead werewolf had done. This was something to think about. But she couldn't do so now, for others were beginning to appear on the stairs leading down from their dormitories. Emma and Anne sat on the opposite end of the couch from Luna, acting as if she didn't exist. Used to this behavior, Luna merely settled deeper against the cushions.

"So, you will never guess what I saw last night as I was coming back to the dormitories." Anne exclaimed, loud enough for the entire common room to hear.

"What were you doing out so late anyway?" Emma asked. "I had to go to bed before you got in; I was so tired from that detention from Slughorn."

Anne grinned slyly. "I'll tell you about that later. Anyway, I saw Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown making out right outside the magic mirror!"

"What?" Emma gasped, obviously enjoying this bit of gossip, though it didn't seem to merit that kind of attention in Luna's opinion. It seemed as though Ron and Lavender made out everywhere: at the kitchen table, outside classrooms, on the Astronomy Tower. "Why can't they just do that in their own common room?" Emma continued.

"They're probably tired of Hermione Granger giving them dirty looks. If you ask me, she just doesn't know what she wants."

For once Luna agreed with her. Hermione Granger did not know what she wanted.

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Ron awoke groggily. Rubbing his knuckles across his eyes, he sat up and looked around. Light slanted in through the window over Neville's bed. He'd always pitied Neville that spot, always having the light shine into his eyes first thing in the morning, bright enough to shine through even the thick velvet curtains. He'd pitied Neville, yes, but never enough to offer to switch beds with him.

He sighed. Time to face another Monday. He rolled out of bed and hit the floor with a bang.

"Oh, shut up, Harry," he groaned as Harry, well, there was really no other word for it, sniggered at him. "You have the most girly laugh out of everyone I've ever heard, mate, and I'm including Lavender in that statement."

Lavender. He still didn't know what to think about her, really. It had seemed simple enough, three weeks ago, snogging her in the common room after the Quidditch game. He'd done it just to hack off Hermione and Ginny really, and to prove that he wasn't as prude as they made him out to be. And it wasn't as though he didn't enjoy kissing Lavender. Well, he was 16 years old; he would enjoy kissing wax fruit. It was just that she…well, she…she giggled too much. Yes, that was it.

Ron pulled on his robes, stifling another sigh. Forgetting to tie his shoelace, he tripped on his way out the door, falling halfway down the stairs. Dean, Seamus, Harry and Neville's laughter followed him as he stood up and continued on through the portrait hole. It was a bloody fantastic start to what was sure to be a bloody fantastic week.

References:

Witch Dreams is the title of a book by Vivian Vande Velde. This story is in no way connected to it, but the title just seemed to fit. The bit about inconsequential dreams is also based loosely around some of the dialogue of Witch Dreams.

"Well, he was 16 years old; he would enjoy kissing wax fruit." A variation of the words penned by the amazing Cassandra Claire when she has her Draco say "I'm 17 years old; I have erotic thoughts about wax fruit." or something along those lines.


	2. The Winter's Tale

Chapter 2: The Winter's Tale

Disclaimer: All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There are also references to other books, fanfic, TV shows, or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

"Ronald!" squealed Lavender, patting the place beside her on the bench with a grin that made Ron's jaw hurt just to look at it.

"Um, hey Lav? Don't call me Ronald, okay?"

"Why not?" she pouted. "It is your name, right?"

"Well, yes, but no one's called me by it since I was about four," he replied.

"Well, okay," she said, but he could tell she wasn't pleased. However, this didn't stop her from placing her arms around his neck and sealing her lips to his.

Ron shrugged inwardly. He supposed he should be proud. It was one of their longest conversations yet_. Well, you can't win them all_, he thought to himself while placing his own hands on Lavender's waist to steady them both and returning her kisses with an enthusiasm that almost, but didn't quite, match hers.

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Luna turned away from the sight in front of her, concentrating instead on the cranberry muffin on her plate. She had witnessed similar displays every morning for the past three weeks, but the shock never seemed to wear off. She knew that they had gotten together after the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game, she knew that they were going out, yet still every morning she had to force herself to re-accept the fact that Lavender Brown and Ronald Weasley were snogging at the next table over.

People usually seemed surprised when they first met Luna by how much she already knew about them. They would look at her with a shocked and wary look whenever she happened to blurt out some piece of information about them, whether it was important or not. She supposed they thought her nosy, or uncanny in her knowledge of them, but really she wasn't either. None of her visions included such commonplace things as who dated who in 3rd year, or what exactly happened on a certain Hufflepuff's late night excursions onto the grounds.

It was just that after a couple of years of being the weird one, the one nobody talked to, Luna became virtually invisible. No one noticed her standing just outside their circle of friends in the courtyard during breaks, or leaned up against the wall of the corridor. So she heard things about people, and tucked them away into her memory, so that when she came face to face with that person, she already knew a myriad of facts about their lives. Like when she had first met Ronald, for instance.

She knew he didn't like people to call him Ronald. Today was not the first time she had heard him mention it. But "Ron" had always sounded too much like "wrong" to her, and Ronald was too _right_ to be wrong in any way, even in a matter so inconsequential as his name.

He was right in a way that she couldn't define, from the constellations of freckles on his arms and the back of his neck to the way he was always leaving his shoelaces untied. Right in a way that made her remember all the disparaging comments he'd made and weird looks he'd given her, when she had trained herself long ago not to care, but also made her forget them all when she saw him again. She'd like to place the blame on Wrackspurts, but she knew she couldn't. Even a very persistent Wrackspurt wouldn't be around every time she was near him.

Mentally shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Luna brushed the last muffin crumbs off of her chin and stood up. The last stragglers were heading out of the Great Hall now and if she didn't hurry, she would be late for Transfiguration.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORon sat down on the bench to rub his hair dry after his shower. Tiring as Quidditch practice always was, tonight's had seemed extra brutal.

"You trying to kill us, mate?" he asked the towel-clad Harry.

"I just want to make sure we're really ready for Hufflepuff," Harry explained.

"Harry, you worry too much. How many times do the rest of us have to tell you that Hufflepuff is a pushover before you believe us?" Ron yawned, shrugging on his jacket and winding a scarf tightly about his neck. It seemed as if winters at Hogwarts got colder every year.

"Hey, I'll meet you back at the castle, okay, mate?" Ron wanted to savor some time alone, away from the ever-present Lavender.

"Alright," Harry called, waving as Ron walked out the door.

The view of the fallen snow glittering everywhere and a thousand icicles taken up residence on the eaves of the castle was almost worth the cold. Almost, but not quite. Immediately he wished he'd remembered gloves. He shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged on. His head was down and so he didn't notice that he wasn't the only one walking the grounds on this bitterly cold night. Rounding a copse of trees at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he walked right into her, knocking her down on her back in the snow. She grabbed his hand in a vain attempt to stay upright, causing Ron to fall on top of her.

He found himself staring into the wide silver eyes of Luna Lovegood, his face inches from hers.

Ron scrambled up, then reached out a hand to pull Luna to her feet. "Sorry about that," he said gruffly, brushing snow off his pants.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Luna replied, sounding quite unperturbed both about the fall and the snow caked all over her clothes.

"What are you doing out here, anyway?" Ron asked. "It's bloody freezing."

"I just came out for a walk," she said, her eyes on the frozen, leafless trees. "It's beautiful, don't you think?"

"Yes," Ron said, surprised at himself. He never would have mentioned to Harry, or even to Hermione, if he'd been speaking to her, how pretty he thought Hogwarts was, especially on a winter's night. But there was something about Luna, perhaps her own unguardedness, or the fact that she felt the same way as him, that made him feel as if it was okay to tell her.

They began to walk back towards the castle, staying near the edge of the Forest where the snow was less deep. Ron noticed that Luna was shivering. And no wonder, as she was even less dressed for the weather than he was. She wore no coat, only a heavy wool sweater which was still covered in snow.

"Are you cold, Luna?"

"Oh, no, I'll manage." She smiled at him.

He couldn't help noticing that she looked quite pretty, although he wasn't sure whether it was because her cheeks were tinted red from the cold or because the pale blue of her sweater complimented her eyes nicely.

_Wait, what am I thinking? Looney Lovegood, pretty? You've got a girlfriend, Ron. Remember her: name of Lavender, nice girl, brown hair, great snog? _

But Luna was still looking up at him, smiling and shivering, and Ron led her a few feet into the Forest, unbuttoning his coat as he did so. They sat down on a partly buried log, and Ron handed Luna his coat.

"Here you go. Put this on."

"Your coat. I couldn't take it. You'll get cold without it. And you know you're even more susceptible to Skillywids when you're cold," Luna said seriously, pushing his coat back towards him.

"Skillywids?" Ron asked, mystified.

"Skillywids." Luna nodded. "They're tiny winged creatures that bite the tips of your ears and suck your blood if you don't watch out for them."

Ron shook his head wonderingly. How could she honestly believe this stuff?

"Um, I think I'll be fine. Are you sure you don't want my coat?" was all he could think of to say.

"Well, I suppose so." Luna proceeded to stick her arms through the sleeves and wrap the jacket tight around her.

Ron wasn't sure what made him do it. Maybe it was the sight of Luna in his coat; maybe it was the way her eyes had sparkled when she talked about Skillywids, whatever they were; maybe it was that she was the exact opposite of Lavender in almost every way; maybe it was because of the same inexplicable feeling that had come over him when he's agreed that the grounds were beautiful: the feeling that he and Luna were somehow alike. But whatever the reason, Ron then leaned over and kissed her.

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Luna shivered deliciously. She started to put her hands on either side of his face, but he had already pulled away. He stood up, stumbling backwards in his haste to get away from her.

_Am I that bad at kissing? _Luna thought helplessly. She watched as Ronald ran back up to the castle. He turned to look back at her only once, which caused him to slip and fall face-first into the snow. He got up and continued running. He was almost to the front steps before she thought to call after him.

"Come back!" she yelled, but he was either already too far away to hear or else was pretending to be.

Luna sank back down on the log, leaning back on her hands and staring up at the star-strewn sky, thinking about the irony of it all. Her first kiss and her first heartbreak, all in the last five minutes.

References:

The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare.

Skillywids: Undoubtedly influenced by Skillywidden, the faerie seamstress in Holly Black's Tithe.


	3. In Which Much Time Passes

In Which Much Time Passes

Disclaimer: All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There are also references to other books, fanfic, TV shows, or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to Rumpleteaze.

Harry Potter watched with wry amusement as Lavender Brown turned her back on Ron at the breakfast table, her arms crossed and her mouth set in an absurdly over-emphasized pout.

The cause of the pout was the jacket in Ron's hand, the same one he'd been wearing the night before as he left the changing room. Harry had been quite surprised to see Luna Lovegood sidle up to Ron at the breakfast table, bringing his jacket with her.

"Here you go, Ronald," she'd said. "Thank you for lending it to me last night." Luna had then drifted away, leaving an extremely put-out Lavender in her wake.

"What did she mean, Won-Won?" Lavender demanded. "Last night?" She glared at Ron, who had suddenly become very interested in his toast.

"It was nothing," he mumbled.

"WHAT was nothing?"

"I just met her on the grounds last night and she was cold, so I lent her my jacket, okay? That's all!" Ron's face had gone a brilliant scarlet, whether from anger or something else Harry couldn't tell.

"Fine." Lavender got up and stalked off, swinging her shoulder bag.

"What was all that about, Won-Won?" Harry asked, stifling a chuckle. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Oh, you know Lavender. She thinks…she's just…well, she's just…I don't know!" Whereupon he did a credible imitation of a two year old stomping off after a tantrum.

"I told him to watch out for the Skillywids," said Luna, appearing at Harry's elbow. "Losing too much blood from the ears can do funny things to someone's brain."

Harry only had time to exchange one confused look with Hermione before Luna drifted away again.

"Has the whole world gone mad?" Harry asked.

Hermione only shrugged, and glanced at her watch. "Time to go," she said. "We'll be late for Potions, and I know you'd hate to miss a chance to shine." She cast a withering glance over her shoulder at him as she flounced away from the table.

There was no talking to her when she was in this mood. Harry only sighed and hurried to catch up.

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"You could have taken anyone! Anyone! And you chose Looney Lovegood?" Ron was shocked. He looked around as if he expected to see Fate standing in a corner, pointing her finger and laughing at him. Of all the people for Harry to take to Slughorn's party, he had to choose the girl that Ron had kissed the night before.

Ron still wasn't sure how he felt about the kiss. It had been a nice kiss, less aggressive than the ones he and Lavender shared, sweeter. He wasn't sure how he felt about Luna either. It was incomprehensible to think that he might actually _like_ her; she was Luna Lovegood for Merlin's sake, but then why had he kissed her?

And what did she think of him now? She probably hated him for kissing her and then running off. Should he try to talk to Luna, try to explain his actions when he didn't even understand them himself? She probably never wanted to talk to him again anyway. Even he had to admit to himself that he had acted like a git.

And what about Lavender? She was his girlfriend. He shouldn't be going around kissing other girls anyway. No, he decided, it was probably best if he didn't talk to Luna at all, at least until after the Christmas holidays. And maybe not even then. It was so much easier just to pretend nothing had ever happened.

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Months passed and Luna did not talk to Ronald again. She tried, several times, but it seemed as though he was avoiding her, turning away from her when he spotted her in the corridors, never catching her eye in the Great Hall during meals. She supposed he must hate her now, because of the kiss.

She rather hated herself for it. At least before it happened she could pretend to herself that it was only Wrackspurts that made her knees feel weak and her head light whenever Ronald was nearby. Now, every time she saw him with Lavender Brown, walking hand in hand to class or snogging behind tapestries, she felt a tight knot clench in her chest, and was glad in a way that he avoided her. She didn't know what would happen if she looked into his eyes.

And she continued to dream. Variations of the vision she'd had before Christmas continued to play out in her unconscious, and each time the lead werewolf would appear, he would seem closer than ever.

She had other dreams as well. She saw Dumbledore lying on rough stone, his hands lying weakly at his sides, calling out for someone, though she couldn't catch the name. She saw Harry and Hermione huddled next to a fire in a forest clearing and wondered what they were doing.

She tried to find something to occupy her mind, to get it off of Ronald and her visions. She threw herself into studying for her O.W.L.s, but it wasn't enough. At last, she signed up with Professor McGonagall to commentate the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match the following Saturday. Professor McGonagall pursed her lips but wrote down Luna's name.

The day of the match dawned bright and windy. Although Luna felt sorry for Ronald, confined to the hospital wing, she was happy he wouldn't be here to distract her. She felt her mood lift as she began the commentary. It was extremely interesting; between the cloud shapes and the way the players interacted. She was especially amused by Harry losing his temper completely at the Seeker who had temporarily replaced Ronald. Professor McGonagall's lips became tighter and tighter as the match progressed, until they were nothing but a thin line, but Luna didn't notice. For the first time in months, she felt truly happy.

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Ron opened his eyes. She was gone. Good. Being trapped here in the hospital wing had earned him no respite from Lavender's prattling visits. But now she had gone to watch the match. It should be starting soon.

When he heard the first strains of the commentary floating over the grounds, Ron sat straight up in bed. He lay back down slowly. It had been months since he had talked to her, but still, he would know that voice anywhere. Luna.

He had avoided her at first because he thought she wouldn't want to talk to him and then later because it had been so much easier not to. But listening to her voice as she commentated, he realized how much he had missed her. Ron sighed, turned over, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Harry was in the hospital bed next to his.

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On that balmy night in June, Luna heard a two new bits of information. This time, she obtained them not from skulking behind pillars in the courtyard, but from Hermione Granger. Luna was returning from the library after pinning up a sign on the notice board there. It was nearing the end of the school year again, and there were several things conspicuously missing from her belongings.

As she was ascending the grand staircase, she felt her pocket grow warm. She reached in and pulled out her D.A. Galleon. She didn't know why she had continued to keep it with her at all times after it had become obvious that the D.A. wasn't starting up again this year, but she had. And it had certainly proved useful tonight. She hurried to the seventh floor and met Hermione, Ginny, and Neville there. Their grim faces told her that something far more serious than an illegal defense group was afoot.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"In a moment; in a moment," Hermione replied, sounding flustered. "Ron said he'd be here as soon as he could. He just had to talk to Lavender."

They didn't have to wait long for Ronald to show up. He was breathing heavily and holding his side, as though he'd run all the way there from Gryffindor Tower.

"Well, that's it," he panted. "Lavender and I are officially over!" He grinned almost triumphantly around at them all, his gaze sliding over Luna's almost embarrassedly.

"What happened?" asked Hermione. "Lavender sure looked upset."

"Well, she reckons that we were the only one's up in the dormitory, see?" Ronald explained. "'Coz she couldn't see Harry, right? And so she thinks I was messing around with you behind her back." He looked apologetically at Hermione. "Mental, I figure. But she finally broke it off."

"Coward," said Hermione. "I don't see why you couldn't do it yourself." But she didn't sound as admonitory as her words.

"Excuse me," said Ginny impatiently. "But could someone please explain what's going on?"

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Ginny was worried. Hermione didn't get scared easily, but she had certainly seemed so when she'd pulled Ginny from her dormitory a quarter hour ago. Now, standing in front of the Room of Requirement with Neville, Ron, Luna and Hermione, Harry was conspicuously absent, and that was what scared Ginny.

"Excuse me," she said, cutting off Ron's ridiculous rant about Lavender. "But could someone please explain what's going on?"

"Oh, right, you don't know," said Ron. "Well, I've been meaning to break up with Lavender for ages, but I just couldn't do it you know? So this evening, Lavender saw Hermione and I coming down from the boy's dormitory with Harry, but Harry was in his Invisibility Cloak, so Lavender just thinks I was fooling around with Hermione behind her back and she broke up with me!" He grinned.

"Not that," Ginny ground her teeth, showing, she felt, a lot of restraint under the circumstances. "I mean, where's Harry? And why are we here?"

"Harry's gone with Dumbledore," said Hermione, chewing her bottom lip anxiously. "To get a Horcrux."

Ginny saw Luna and Neville exchanging mystified glances, but there was no time to explain. "Oh," Ginny said, fear coursing through her veins like ice water. "But that still doesn't explain why you dragged me out of bed or why Luna and Neville are here."

"Well, Harry reckons that Malfoy might be up to something tonight. He heard him in the Room of Requirement, or that's what he thinks anyway. So he wants us to keep watch."

Ginny stared at her brother in consternation. "Keep watch?" she echoed.

"Yes," Hermione said. "He asked Ron and me to muster the D.A. and watch Malfoy and Snape tonight, just in case something should happen while he and Dumbledore are away."

"So Harry thinks Malfoy's here, in the Room of Requirement?" Ginny asked.

"Yes. Alright, there's not much time. Ginny, you, Ron and Neville will stay here and make sure you stop Malfoy if he comes out of the Room," said Hermione, effectively taking over. "Luna, you'll come with me and we'll go down to Snape's office."

Hermione had taken Luna's wrist and was walking away when Ron stopped her. "Wait, there's one more thing," he said, reaching into his robes and pulling out a pair of socks. "It's the rest of Harry's Felix Felicis," said Ron in answer to almost everyone's confused looks.

"Lucky potion?" asked Luna. "I'd heard he won that from Slughorn. But what does he want us to do with it?"

"Well, he said for me to divide it up between Hermione, Ginny and myself," said Ron, eyeing the golden contents of the little bottle. Ginny could tell that there wasn't much left. "But I reckon there's enough here for five."

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There really wasn't enough for five people. Ron could tell just by looking. There was barely enough for three people to wet their lips, let alone take a sip.

"You first," he said, pushing it towards Ginny.

She tilted the bottle back, then forward again almost immediately. She handed it to Hermione, who did the same thing, then passed it to Ron. He looked again. There didn't seem to be any less potion than there had been a minute ago. He looked suspiciously at his sister, then Hermione. "You lot did drink some, didn't you?"

"Of course we did, Ron. Why wouldn't we?" The worry in Hermione's voice was telling. Ron knew they didn't have time for indecision. He handed the Felix Felicis to Luna.

"Ronald, you didn't have any," Luna protested, trying to hand it back to him.

"Just drink it, okay?" She did, and then handed it off to Neville.

Neville took the tiniest of sips. Ron could see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed.

Ron took the Felix from Neville's hand. There was only a thin film of potion left at the bottom of the tiny glass bottle. He put it to his lips and tilted his head back as far as it would go. A swallow of potion slid into his mouth.

Almost at once, a bubbling sensation drifted up from Ron's core. He felt as though he could do anything.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go."

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Luna followed Hermione down the stone steps into the dungeons. They waited in tense silence outside Snape's office. It seemed as though hours passed, but glancing at her watch, Luna could tell that scarcely twenty minutes had gone by since they had left Ronald, Ginny and Neville outside the Room of Requirement. The silence was almost oppressive, but Luna didn't think it the time for conversation. Both girls jumped when Professor Flitwick tumbled down the stairs.

He picked himself up almost immediately, and dashed into Snape's office yelling something about Death Eaters. Luna could hear raised voices, then a thud. Snape rushed out of his office, putting his wand up his sleeve as he ran. He stopped when he saw Luna and Hermione

"Miss Granger; Miss Lovegood," he intoned. "Far be it from me to chastise you for being out of bed this late when it so happens that I need your help." Luna had never heard Snape ask for help before, but she didn't think much of it. "Professor Flitwick has fainted in my office. You must revive him.I must go help the Aurors. Death Eaters have broken into Hogwarts."

Luna would have wondered why Snape was telling them all of this, but Hermione didn't give her time to think. She grabbed Luna's arm and all but dragged her into Snape's office. Flitwick was indeed lying on the ground and an egg-sized lump was sprouting on his head.

"Oh, oh no!" Hermione wrung her hands. "We'll need cool water, and a cloth, perhaps some ice…"

"Ennervate," said Luna calmly. Flitwick fluttered his eyelids, and then sat up slowly.

"Oh, girls, what happened?" he asked. He seemed even more confused than he should have been after fainting.

"Snape's gone to help the Aurors," Hermione explained.

"And the Order, yes, yes," Professor Flitwick nodded. "You girls had better be off to bed; you don't want to be out in the corridors tonight. It's not safe at all."

"Will you be alright, Professor?" Hermione asked courteously. "I don't want to leave you here alone."

"Oh, I'll be fine. I just need to rest a bit. My head feels all muddled. Now, off to bed with you, Miss Lovegood, Miss Granger."

They left, casting looks back behind them until they were out of the office and in the corridor once more.

"We've got to go help," said Hermione shortly. She looked pale, but resolute

"I agree," said Luna.

When the emerged from the dungeons and into the Entrance Hall, they could here shouts echoing down from the floor above. They climbed the steps and Luna saw only chaos before her. Death Eaters and Aurors were battling in the corridor before her. Every so often, she saw a familiar face: Neville, McGonagall, the Aurors who patrolled Hogwarts, then they would flash out of sight again. She stood agog.

A Killing Curse ricocheted off the wall behind her, shattering a marble bust and snapping her out of her stupor. Luna flew into action. Every spell and jinx she remembered from the D.A. came back to her in a flash. She fired hexes left and right, being careful not to hit the Order members or the Aurors.

After a while, there was an upsurge of noise from down the corridor. Looking in that direction, Luna saw half of the ceiling falling toward the ground. People ducked out of the way, and silence fell. Out of the dust and rubble came Snape, followed closely by Draco Malfoy.

Everyone still seemed stunned. Staff and Death Eaters alike pushed to the sides of the hallway and let them pass. After they were through, Death Eaters poured down the stairs from the Astronomy Tower. The battle raged anew.

In her peripheral vision, Luna saw Harry streak past, and was momentarily relieved that he was alright. Then all thoughts were wiped from her brain.

Out of the crush of bodies and flashing curses strode a tall man with matted grey hair and an untrimmed mustache that looked a bit like whiskers sprouting from his upper lip. On someone else, it might have been an amusing sight, but Luna was far from laughing. Luna stared, her wand hanging limply in her hand. It was him.

She had been seeing him in her dreams for months, had watched him stride around a circle of werewolves and bay at the moon. She had heard him say the word "soon" with such a savage rending of breath from lungs that her own breath nearly stopped.

The smell of blood and sweat emanating from him was almost overwhelming, but Luna couldn't move. He grinned that feral grin of his, and flexed his yellow-nailed fingers.

"Luna, get DOWN!" yelled a voice, and Remus Lupin dashed from the side, knocking Luna over, and standing over her. "Greyback," he said, addressing the werewolf standing before him. "You really don't want to do that."

"Remus Lupin," Greyback looked at Lupin with something approaching glee in his small, yellowish eyes. "And why wouldn't I want to maul this little girl?"

Luna expected Lupin to appeal to Greyback's reasoning or sensibility, but he said the last thing she would have expected him to say: "Because you need her."

"I-what?" Even Greyback looked confused.

"Talk to the vampires. One, I believe his name is Sanguini, has some information I think you'd like to hear."

"Fine." With one last snarl in Luna's direction, Greyback turned away.

Professor Lupin helped Luna to her feet "What did you mean Professor?" she asked. "Why does he need me?"

"I'm sorry Luna," said Lupin, and indeed, he looked devastated. "But it was the only way. I may have only delayed your doom, but it was all I could think of. I'm sorry."

He turned away, back to the battle, but it seemed to have stopped. All the Death Eaters were gone and only weary, familiar faces remained.

References:

"Fear coursing through her veins like ice water": all of the witches in Donna Jo Napoli's books have ice water in their veins instead of blood.

A/N: Well, that was quite a long chapter. I hope you guys liked it. A bit of a cliffie ending, or at least that's what I was going for. And now I am going to take a leaf out of some other fanfic writers' books and say that I'm not going to update until I get, let's say, five reviews. Sound good? The next chapter will feature Dumbledore's funeral and hopefully some actual plot, for once. Hope that piques your interest. Laterz.


	4. A Wedding and a Funeral

Chapter 4: A Wedding and a Funeral

Disclaimer: All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There are also references to other books, fanfics, TV shows, and/or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update this time. See, I had it all written a couple weeks ago, but not typed up, and then I realized that I hadn't read my required summer reading and school started in three days. Then once school started, I had homework and stuff. But now I'm back, from outer space, and here's Chapter 4.

_He stands in a clearing once again, but it is a different clearing. This one is surrounded by mountains rather than forest, and this time, he is alone. Fenrir Greyback. He glances around impatiently, as if waiting for someone to arrive. Then out of the scrubby underbrush appears a creature she has seen once before. If only she could remember where. He is flanked by a werewolf on each side. His eyes dart from one to the other warily, but he doesn't seem scared until he looks at the werewolf standing before him. Then all the blood drains out of his already bloodless face. _

_"Ah, Sanguini, at last you've arrived. And tell me, how do you enjoy…civilization?" There is an undercurrent of derision in Greyback's voice as he observes the vampire at his feet. _

_"I-I don't know why I have been brought here," Sanguini says, working to conceal the quake in his voice. _

_"Oh, how silly of me," Greyback replies. "I hear you have some information for me."_

_"Information?"_

_"Yes, about a certain little blond sweetie by the name of Luna Lovegood?"_

_Immediately, Sanguini's face clears. "She knows, sir. She knows about the Rotfang Conspiracy."_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The day of Dumbledore's funeral dawned clear and bright, and Luna didn't know what to wear. She had never been to a funeral before in her life, there having been nothing left of her mother to bury. She knew black was traditional, but the only black she owned was her school robes, and they didn't seem formal enough. Finally she decided on her school robes with her favorite butterbeer-cork necklace. She still wasn't sure it was appropriate, but she felt that Dumbledore would understand.

Luna ran into Neville going down the front steps. He was still limping a little because of the wound he'd gotten during the battle. She walked with him down to the chairs set up on the lawn. She noticed Harry looking their way and smiled at him. He gave a weak attempt at a grin before turning away back to Ginny, who was holding his hand.

Luna didn't cry during the ceremony. She couldn't remember ever crying. She spotted Ronald holding Hermione in his arms though, and had to turn away, a hard knot in her throat. Was it wrong, she wondered, to be sad over a boy at the funeral of the greatest wizard in the world? In the end, she decided that, like her necklace, this was something Dumbledore would understand.

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After the funeral, Ginny found Luna beside the lake, leaning over to try to get a glance at the merpeople.

"Hello, Luna," she said.

"Oh, hello Ginny," Luna replied, not taking her eyes of the mermaid floating languidly beneath the surface.

"Listen, Luna, what are you doing this summer?"

"Oh, nothing really. The Quibbler didn't do as well this year as last you know. I suspect it's because Harry didn't do any interviews this year."

Even the mention of Harry's name sent a pang through Ginny. She knew they had made the right decision in breaking up, knew that Harry had things he needed to get on with, saving the world and so on, but that didn't make it any easier.

"So Daddy and I probably won't be going on any excursions this summer," Luna finished, seeming quite oblivious to Ginny's distress.

"How would you like to come to my brother's wedding then?" Ginny asked. After all, Luna was her friend, and Ginny didn't want her to retreat into herself as she had always seemed to do before the D.A. Either that or discover any imaginary animals in Sweden as she had over the last summer holidays.

"Oh, that's right, Bill's getting married. To that Fleur Delacour. I remember her from our third year. I'm not sure I liked her very much.

Ginny felt herself begin to smile. "You should fit right in with the rest of us then. Come round to my place on the 15th. The wedding's on the 16th, but you can get there before the crowds and settle in. "

"Alright," Luna replied. "I've never been invited to a wedding before."

Ginny relayed her address and direction to Luna and walked off feeling good that Luna would get out at least one time this summer.

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Hermione was having trouble concentrating on the wedding preparations. She knew Harry and Ron were too. And how could they not, when a mere 48 hours from now would find them far away from the Burrow, en route to Godric's Hollow and the search for the Horcruxes? They all kept darting glances at one another, Ginny included. It was hard to keep one's mind on the task at hand (hanging gold and lavender bows all around the front parlor) when something of this magnitude was hanging over their heads. A knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get it!" Ron yelled, though there really wasn't any need for yelling. Hermione knew he was only doing it to relieve his own tension though, so she didn't reprimand him for it.

In the middle of twining a bow garland around the banister, she looked up to see Ron ushering Luna Lovegood into the parlor, her broomstick in his hand.

"I'll just put this in the shed, shall I?" he asked, waving it about and almost knocking over a vase rather precariously perched on top of a cabinet.

"Oh, Luna, good, you're here," Ginny exclaimed. "I'll show you to my room."

"I'll come too," Hermione volunteered, eager to leave off garland-making. "I'm bunking with Ginny also."

"We're a bit cramped, what with all the relatives come to stay, not to mention the French royalty." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Ah," was all Luna said, gazing around with her protuberant eyes. Hermione shook her head fondly as she began to follow the two younger girls up the staircase.

"Erm, Hermione, could a have a word?" Ron inquired from below her, sounding nervous.

"Of course, Ron; what is it?" Hermione turned and descended the stairs.

"Er, alone?"

Harry grinned, shaking his head, but he plucked Luna's broomstick from Ron's hands and went out the door, presumably to deposit it in the broom shed in the garden.

Hermione tucked her hair behind her ears and sat on the bottom step with a bit of trepidation. Surely he would not choose now to confess that he liked her. She had been expecting it for a while now. Everyone had, to judge by Harry's knowing grins and Mrs. Weasley's hints.

But the thing of it was, Hermione didn't like Ron. Oh, she liked him; he was her best friend, and certainly there'd been periods when she'd thought she liked him. But after long contemplation and many late-night conversations with Ginny, she'd concluded that there was nothing she felt for Ron besides deep warmth and affection of the most friendly, platonic kind.

"Uh, earth to Hermione?" Ron sat beside her on the step.

"Oh, sorry, Ron! I was just…thinking."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately…about us."

_Oh no, here it comes!_ "About us?" Hermione repeated.

"Hermione, you know I like you. I've always liked you." Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands around her knees. She didn't want to see his face when she told him.

"Oh, Ron, I-"

"Wait." He touched her hand. Her eyes snapped open. "I'm not finished."

"What?"

"Just let me finish. As I said, I've always liked you. And for a long time I thought there was no other girl for me. But lately I've been having some doubts about that."

"Doubts?" She was beginning to feel like a parrot, just repeating whatever he said.

"Don't get me wrong. You're still my best friend, aside from Harry, but-"

"But you don't like me like that?" Hope was blossoming in Hermione's chest. Maybe she wouldn't have to break his heart after all!

"No. Sorry." Ron looked away.

Hermione's face split into a wide smile. "Me neither!" she nearly shouted.

"I-what?"

"I don't like you either!" She rushed to explain. "I mean, I feel like it's just that people expect us to like each other, so we think that we do, and-"

"And my mum's got it all worked out that I'll marry you and Ginny'll marry Harry and we'll all have Christmas together."

"Exactly!" said Hermione, laughing with relief.

Ron pulled her into a hug. "I feel exactly the same way." She could sense his hesitation though.

"What is it, Ron?"

"D'you think we should, you know, test it?"

"Test it? Like, make absolutely certain we don't have any latent feelings for each other bottled up inside?" It sort of made sense. "How would we do that?"

"Um." He blushed a deep scarlet. "We could…erm…kiss."

"I suppose that would work." Hermione leaned forward. Ron did the same, and she felt his warm mouth brush her own. They both pulled away rather quickly.

It was a nice kiss, Hermione supposed, but there was no spark, and she almost unconsciously wiped at her mouth with her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron doing the same thing.

"Hey, you wiped off my kiss," she said.

"You wiped off my kiss."

"We gross each other out!" Hermione couldn't remember ever being more relieved.

"We can't like each other, then." Ron grinned hugely.

"Then it's settled." Hermione gave Ron a sisterly kiss on the cheek and then headed upstairs to see what Ginny and Luna were up to.

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Ginny was surveying Luna's dress robes, which were spread out on the bed. Luna had never been much concerned with how she looked. She had brought the sole set of dress robes she owned, the same she'd worn to Slughorn's party with Harry.

"You can't wear these," Ginny said now.

"Why not?" asked Luna, rather hurt. She thought them quite pretty, with their silver spangles and stars.

Some of her hurt must have crept into her tone, or perhaps onto her face, because Ginny smiled warmly. "They're a winter weight," she explained. "And dress robes aren't traditionally worn to weddings anyway."

"Oh, yes, I remember Professor Binns mentioning that once. Something about there being a lack of wizard ministers in the early days, and not wanting to distress the Muggle ones with wizarding dress."

"You listen to Professor Binns?" asked Hermione, appearing in the doorway. "And here I thought I was the only one," she added in a tone of mock surprise, entering the room with a spring in her step.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny greeted her, before diving into her closet.

"Only sometimes," Luna told Hermione. "What is Ginny doing in there?"

"I'm finding you a dress," came Ginny's voice from the depths of the closet. "She's about my size, wouldn't you say, Hermione?"

Luna stood still while Hermione appraised her. "Yes, I'd say so."

"Good," Ginny said as she emerged, a wad of frothy green silk in her arms. "Mum got this for me, but since I'm a bridesmaid," She made a face. "I have to wear what Fleur chose."

"Well, at least Fleur has good taste," Hermione said consideringly. Ginny shot her a look that clearly said she'd been betrayed. "If it were me, I probably would have made you wear the pink."

Ginny shuddered, then shook out the dress in her hands and laid it on the bed over Luna's robes. It was quite pretty, sleeveless and the color of sea foam, with a full skirt and delicate edging around the collar.

"Try it on," Hermione urged, and Luna picked it up and held it against her chest. "I don't know…"

"We'll try ours on too, won't we Gin?" Hermione added.

"Well, alright."

Within five minutes, all three girls were resplendent, Luna in green, Ginny in pale gold, and Hermione in deep sapphire.

Luna examined herself in Ginny's full length mirror. "I've never felt pretty before," she whispered.

"Luna, you're beautiful," said Ginny, coming to her side and putting her arm around her. Hermione stepped up to Luna's other side.

"We all are," Luna said, and it was the truth.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ron adjusted his bow tie nervously. As a groomsman, he had to walk down the aisle, and he wanted to look his best. Maybe if he looked good enough, no one would notice if he tripped, as he had done during the rehearsal the night before. But he knew that was nonsense. _Please let me not make a fool of myself, especially in front of Luna_, he prayed.

Luna. Now that things were settled quite to his satisfaction between himself and Hermione, he felt free to think of her. His heart had banged against his ribcage like a battering ram when she'd appeared at the door yesterday. He didn't really know what it was he felt for her, he only knew that he wanted to talk to her…and soon.

"Ron, come on," Charlie called from the landing below. "The wedding's about to start!"

Ron hurried down the stairs.

OOO

The wedding turned out lovely. Ron made it down the aisle without a misstep, although he earned a glare from Gabrielle, whom he was escorting (Charlie was leading Ginny), for gripping her arm too tightly. Fred and George, who had opted not to be in the wedding itself, snickered from the front row where they sat next to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who was wiping her eyes, and Harry.

Fleur looked divine. Ron would have thought that, with her pale skin and hair, white would wash her out, but it only succeeded in giving her skin a golden glow. Bill was grinning, making the fragile network of scarring on his face bunch in some places and stretch in others, but still, he had never looked more handsome.

There was nothing at all to make the beam budge from Mrs. Weasley's face.

After the ceremony, Ron looked for Luna, only to find her ensconced in a gazebo with Professor Lupin, deep in conversation. Undaunted, he turned away. She would be staying for several days, after all. He would have plenty of time to talk to her later. How very wrong he was.

References:

"Four Weddings and a Funeral" is um, a movie. That I haven't seen, but that's still where the title came from.

"Little blonde sweetie" is one way they refer to Dorinda in User Unfriendly, by Vivian Vande Velde.

"I'll marry you and Ginny'll marry Harry and we'll all have Christmas together." From Draco Veritas, by Cassandra Claire.

The whole kiss test, wiping off and discussion of grossing each other out comes from Naturally Sadie. Sigh. Not only do I quote Disney Channel shows, but I have to quote quite possibly the most pathetic one.

The description of Bill's fragile network of scars was influenced by the description of Shepset's scars in Escape from Egypt, by Sonia Levitin.

A/N: Wow, quite a few references in this chapter. I really don't have an original idea to call my own, do I? Don't answer that. But do review. Thanks for all the lovely reviews last time, by the way. Let's see if we can't get seven more before I post Chapter 5, shall we?


	5. Let's All Go Barmy: Part 1

By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 5

Let's All Go Barmy: Part 1

"Professor, may I have a word with you?" Luna asked, approaching Professor Lupin as he left the food table with a plate towering with sausages and pie.

"Ah, yes, Luna." There was a resigned note in his voice. "I've been expecting you to corner me ever since the night when…the night when…"

"Dumbledore died," Luna finished for him.

"Well, I must admit I do owe you an explanation. Come, sit with me and we'll talk."

Luna followed him across the lawn to a hastily-erected gazebo. They sat on the bench inside.

"So, you're wondering about what I said to Greyback that night."

Luna was rather glad he was doing most of the talking. She didn't really know how to put her confusion and curiosity into words.

"Yes," she answered. "You said he needed me. What did you mean? Where you bluffing? Why would Greyback need me?"

Lupin put up a hand to stem the flow of questions. Luna sat back, marginally ashamed. It wasn't like her to lose control like this.

"I'm afraid that it's rather a long story," he said. "I trust you don't have any pressing engagements?" She shook her head, and he continued. "I've been living with the werewolves these past few months. Dumbledore wanted someone to keep a tab on Greyback, find out what he was up to. Of course, Greyback never trusted me implicitly, far from it, but he let a few things slip.

"The most important information I overheard was in regard to the Rotfang Conspiracy." Luna started, and Lupin put his hand up again. "Yes, I know you've heard of it, but it's not what you think. The Rotfang Conspiracy was conceived by none other than Rodolfo Rotfang himself, perhaps the most fearsome werewolf ever. Yes, even more so than our friend Greyback.

"Greyback was Rotfang's top follower, his lieutenant, if you will. And it was Greyback who took over the Conspiracy when Rotfang became too old and ill to carry it out. "

"So what exactly is the Rotfang Conspiracy, Professor?" Luna asked. She was a bit miffed to hear that the Rotfang Conspiracy did not really involve corruption and tooth decay in the Ministry of Magic. It had all made sense, really, when you thought about it.

"I'm getting to that, Luna." Lupin rested his forehead in his palm, whether from tiredness or exasperation Luna didn't know. "The Rotfang Conspiracy is the attempt of the renegade, that is to say, wild, werewolves to turn the whole world into werewolves like themselves."

"But that would be impossible, wouldn't it?"

"One would think so, Luna, with only forty or so renegades to worry about. But Greyback has come up with a plan, steeped in lore, to bind all the werewolves to him, whether they will it or no.

"On the nights preceding that of the next full moon, all the werewolves in the world will be summoned to his lair, deep in the Northern forests. It is an old magic, one that no dark creature can resist."

"Not even you?" she asked.

"Not even me." Lupin took a deep breath, and then shook his head, as if to shake loose all the worry that seemed heaped upon him. "Then, on the night of the full moon, Greyback will present a blood sacrifice, a human, to bind all the werewolves to him. They must then obey him in everything, including his plans for the Conspiracy."

"But, Professor Lupin, I still don't understand why Greyback needs me."

Lupin took another deep breath. "The sacrifice cannot be just any old human. It must be a maiden, for one thing. As I said, it's very old, very traditional magic. In addition, the sacrifice must have some tie to werewolves and their doings. You do, Luna."

"I do?"

"Your name, for one thing, means "moon" in the old languages of the world. Your coloring is moonlike, for another. I never said it had to be a close tie."

For all his light words, Lupin sounded as serious as Luna had ever heard him, and for the first time, she was afraid.

"And so I am to be the blood sacrifice, just because of my name?"

"You also know about Greyback's plans, or at least he thinks you do. Sanguini heard you mention the Rotfang Conspiracy at Slughorn's Christmas party, a fact that Sanguini later relayed to me, but not before he'd had quite a lot to drink. Trust me, Luna; you don't ever want to see a drunken vampire." The disgust was evident in his voice. "Telling Greyback he needed you was the only way I could think of to stop him killing you the night of the battle. He'll have talked to Sanguini since then. So now he'll be killing two birds with one stone, getting rid of the one human who knows of his plans, as he believes, and getting his blood sacrifice in the bargain as well."

It was a lot to comprehend, to say the least, but one question was still niggling at the back of Luna's mind.

"On the night of the full moon, you said, but of which month?"

Lupin hesitated, and in his eyes there was a depth of sadness that Luna could not ever remember seeing there before.

"July. This month, Luna. In seventeen days."

Seventeen days. Seventeen days until she would die.

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"Don't you think so?"

"Hmm?" Hermione looked up from perusing the latest "Witch Weekly" to see a disgruntled Ron looking back at her. She had told herself that she would never read "Witch Weekly", declaring it trash, but the days of waiting after the wedding was over had caused an increasing boredom and an overwhelming need for something to do. So "Witch Weekly" it was.

They were supposed to have left three days ago, directly after the wedding. But then Harry had hesitated, and she and Ron had decided in private conference that he should be given time. After all, it was a big thing he was setting out to do.

"I said, don't you think Luna's been acting a bit odd lately?" Ron repeated petulantly, looking like a four year old denied his cookie.

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Luna's always a bit odd. What do you mean?"

"Well, she's been looking out the windows a lot, and chewing on the edges of her sleeves. She never used to do that."

"Well, Ron," Hermione sighed. "I don't know. Maybe you should just ask her if something's wrong?"

"Erm, no." Ron began shuffling his feet and edging out the door. "I'm sure everything is fine.

Hermione didn't really know what to think of this. She hadn't noticed anything different about Luna lately, but then again, she had her own things to worry about. Namely Harry and his unconceivable hesitation to leave.

Hermione glanced at her watch and yawned. Time for bed. It was only nine o'clock, but she had high hopes that tomorrow would be the day they would set out, and she needed her rest.

She was not fated to get much however, because a scant three quarters of an hour had passed since she had retired when Hermione was woken from her sleep by the cry of: "She's gone! Luna's gone!"

And then chaos reigned supreme in the house of the Weasleys.


	6. Let's All Go Barmy: Part 2

By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 6: Let's All Go Barmy: Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I'm sure you know this by now. Harry Potter, etc. is the property of J.K. Rowling, and I am but a humble admirer.

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. Hopefully, updates will be more frequent in future.

Ron had only wanted to talk to Luna. At least, that's what he told himself. He firmly told all his other thoughts (like the insistent one of kissing Luna again) to go away. He only wanted to talk to her, but all thoughts were driven from his mind by the sight of Luna's empty bed.

"She's gone! Luna's gone!" he shouted before he could help himself. Now Luna was going to come out of the loo or something and think him a complete idiot for waking the whole house, and probably a creepy stalker for being in her room as well.

The next few hours were a blur. Ron remembered searching with the entire Weasley clan, plus those like Lupin, Hermione and Harry who had stuck around after the wedding, searching the garden and then the town of Ottery St. Catchpole as dawn lightened the world around them, but no particulars stuck out in his mind. He only came to himself around noon, when he was marching back to the Burrow in defeat, Lupin by his side.

"It's all my fault," Lupin was saying.

"What?" Ron asked, this unexpected confession jerking him out of his stupor.

So Ron listened in rapt amazement as Lupin told him about the Rotfang Conspiracy and Luna's projected part in it.

"She must have left, not wanting to put the rest of us at risk," Lupin sighed. "There was no sign of a struggle. I'll have to go after her."

"I'll come with you," Ron stated, not knowing what he was going to say until he heard the words himself. "I'll help you find her."

Ron could not adequately explain, even to himself, why he was so determined to go with Lupin. He supposed that it was in pursuit of some romantic fantasy in which he rescued Luna from the forces of darkness and rode off with her on his white horse to a castle in the clouds. Even though he knew perfectly well that they would be riding broomsticks, not horses.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat in his camp bed in Ron's room, thinking. After Lupin had told them all, assembled in the Weasley's kitchen, about the werewolves and their Conspiracy, he had done little but think. He had since realized that if Greyback succeeded in his plan of turning all the world to werewolves, then all the world would join Voldemort, making Harry's job considerably more difficult, to say the least. He stared at the aquarium that had once held frog spawn, then a toad, and now nothing. It was time, he realized, resting his chin on his fist, to put aside all his childish worries and doubts, and even postpone visiting Godric's Hollow. He had to start searching for the Horcruxes now. His parents' graves would still be there when he was done. The rest of the world might not be.

He jumped up and began feverishly to gather his things. Ron's departure with Lupin would complicate matters; he had always thought it would be he, Ron and Hermione together. But he didn't blame Ron for this, for wanting his own quest. And besides, he'd seen enough of the looks that had passed between Ron and Luna to know that it was much more than that. As he threw a fresh pair of socks into his bag, Harry heard a knock at the door.

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Luna was having another dream. She walked through a camp of some kind, the moon shining brightly enough to light the world and throw each tree and rock into sharp relief. Suddenly, a shadow crossed her path, and a face she recognized from her previous premonitions took shape before her. Greyback.

"Well, hello little girl," he grinned, showing teeth that appeared silver in the moonlight. Luna jumped.

"Ah, yes, this makes it so much easier."

Luna heard a sound echo behind her. But before she could turn around, something solid hit the back of her head and she had time for only one thought before her world dissolved into blackness. This was no dream.

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Ginny raised her hand to knock again, but before she could, the door opened and she had to check her hand before she hit Harry in the nose.

"Ginny." He sounded surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you about the Horcruxes."

Harry looked puzzled for a moment, and then his face cleared. "I suppose I really should tell someone," he said, seemingly to himself.

"I've decided to leave immediately in search of the Horcruxes."

He sounded so noble and old-fashioned that Ginny couldn't help but giggle. But she sobered quickly. "Without Ron?"

Harry nodded. "Hermione and I will manage fine on our own." He seemed to be trying to convince himself of the fact.

Ginny could almost feel the wheels in her mind turning as she thought of an idea.

"But you know Harry, you really should take a Weasley along with you. The red hair is good luck you know."

Harry frowned. "What are you saying, Ginny. I don't think I could reasonably ask Bill to come with me the day after his wedding, and Charlie's got to get back to Romania. Percy wouldn't want to come, of course, and I don't think the twins can leave their shop either."

Ginny sighed in a long-suffering way. "I meant me, idiot. Take me with you to go search for the Horcruxes."

Immediately, Harry's puzzled frown turned into a ferocious scowl. "Ginny, no! We've already discussed this. It's too dangerous!"

"Are you saying I can't handle danger, Harry Potter? Who was fighting beside you in the Hall of Prophesy? And besides, didn't you ever think that maybe I love you so much that I'm more than willing to risk my life for you?"

Harry closed his mouth abruptly, and Ginny clapped her hands over hers. She felt herself blushing and cursed the famous Weasley temper. She had to remind herself that she and Harry weren't a couple anymore; she couldn't just go around shouting things like-

"Okay. I must be going mad, but all right," Harry threw up his hands, defeated. "You can come with us."

Things happened very quickly after that. Hermione had to be informed about the new arrangements, and things had to be packed. They took a break to say goodbye to Lupin and Ron. Ginny stood on tiptoes to kiss her brother on the cheek.

"I know you'll find her," she said. "Bring Luna back to us, Ron."

"I will," he said, trying to muster a smile, and failing utterly.

And then they were gone, and within the hour, Harry, Hermione and Ginny stood in the front hall, broomsticks in hand, as Mrs. Weasley cried over them.

"Mum!" Ginny tried to squirm out of her mother's embrace. "We'll be fine; we'll stay in touch. Don't worry."

Mrs. Weasley stepped back for a moment, looking at her daughter before pouncing on Harry.

"Just wait till you have children of your own. Then you'll know what it's like."

"Mum!"

But finally, finally they were free, and walking along the road out of Ottery St. Catchpole. It wasn't until they stood upon Stoatshead Hill and were about to mount their broomsticks, Hermione borrowing Fred's old Cleansweep Seven, that Ginny thought to ask: "Where are we going?"

"I thought we'd head for London first. See what we can find out about R.A.B." Harry's hand went to his pocket, and Ginny knew he was clutching the fake locket there.

"London it is." Ginny could tell Hermione was trying to smile bravely, but her lip was trembling.

They did not speak as they flew. Ginny concentrated on the wind whipping red tendrils of hair around her face and felt happier than she had in a long time. Before she knew it, they were descending into a back alleyway on some unknown London street.

Or maybe not unknown, Ginny realized as they walked out of the alleyway. She was standing in a circle of houses she remembered quite clearly. And then, as she heard Harry mumble under his breath, an even more familiar house burst into existence. Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

Ginny marched up the steps behind Harry, watched him fit a slim metal key into the lock shaped like a serpent. _Where had he gotten that? _she wondered. But it didn't seem to matter once Harry had eased the door open and they were standing in the dark, dusty hall once more.

"Harry, what-" Hermione started to say, but Harry whirled around, finger to his lips. Then Ginny remembered. The portrait.

They made their way upstairs, to the room Ginny remembered Ron and Harry had stayed in, was it really only two years ago?

At the entrance to the room, however, Harry stopped short, and soon Ginny realized why. There was a shuffling, scraping noise coming from the floor above them, as if someone was moving boxes across the floor.

Harry motioned for them to stay there, but of course neither Ginny nor Hermione obeyed. Scowling, Harry led the way up the rickety staircase and onto the landing of the floor above. The scraping noise was louder now, and Ginny was able to discern that it came from the second room from the end, a study of sorts, if she recalled correctly. Following Harry and Hermione, she crept down the hall, stopping before the room. Then Harry flung the door wide, and she could see someone hunched over a pile of something unidentifiable with his bulk in the way. She frowned. With his ginger hair, this stranger looked distinctly like-

"Mundungus!" Hermione shrieked. "What are you doing here?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

There was no time to think before a colored blur pushed past Hermione and fell upon Mundungus. _Harry_, Hermione realized instantly, remembering that fateful incident in Hogsmeade.

"Harry, gerroff!" Mundungus shouted, flinging out his arm and connecting solidly with Harry's head, while Harry rained punches down on his chest and stomach.

She looked at Ginny and saw that the redhead was having the same thoughts she was: _If we don't stop this, someone will get hurt._

"Harry, Mundungus, stop!" Hermione yelled at the top of her lungs, while attempting to pry Harry's fingers from their stranglehold on Mundungus's neck. Finally, with Ginny's help, Hermione managed to drag Harry off. He sat panting against the wall, while Mundungus lay curled on the floor where he had fallen.

"He's doing it again," Harry said raggedly. "Stealing Sirius's stuff. The no good. lousy git."

"Harry, calm down," Ginny said placatingly.

"Don't see what you're so fussed 'bout, Harry," said Mundungus from across the room. Speaking was not his wisest move in Hermione's opinion, but apparently he didn't think of this. "'S'not like I'm taking anything really valuable this time. This stuff won't fetch but a mere pittance next to those goblets, or that locket I sold last week."

Hermione had laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, ready to restrain him again, as he looked about ready to jump Mundungus a second time, but at the word "locket", all three of them stopped and looked at Mundungus.

"What locket?" asked Harry is a calm, cold voice.

"Why, the heavy gold one," said Mundungus, looking surprised at the attention. "Looked like it had some sorta emblem on the front and-"

Harry began hitting himself on the forehead with his fist. "Stupid, stupid. I should have thought to that long before."

And suddenly, the pieces came together in Hermione's mind too. The locket they'd found that day two summers ago cleaning out the sitting room. R.A.B., she mused. Regulus Black. Of course.

"Who did you sell it to?" Ginny asked forcefully, while Hermione and Harry were still lost in thought. "Where is it now?"

"Why, I sold it to some chap with a funny accent," Mundungus said mildly, as though he didn't see the strangeness in being questioned by three desperate teenagers in an abandoned house. "Said he was from Romania."

"Where in Romania?" asked Harry. "Do you know?"

"Can't say that I do, Harry," said Mundungus.

"Well, thank you for your help," Hermione said, making, she thought, a valid attempt at politeness.

They all rose to leave, Hermione leading the way out of the room. Harry came last, then at the door turned and strode back to Mundungus, still lying there on the floor, and punched him hard in the nose. Mundungus looked stunned.

"Stay away from Sirius's house," Harry warned, wiping the blood off his knuckles. Mundungus looked to Hermione as if this time he would obey.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry set a hard pace. He knew the girls were having trouble keeping up with him, but he couldn't stop himself from flying as fast as he could. By seven o'clock though, he could hear his own breath rasping out of his lungs and knew it was time to take a break.

"I'm going to land here," he shouted back to Hermione and Ginny when he spotted a clearing down below them.

Once they had all toppled off their broomsticks and lain on the ground for a few minutes though, Ginny raised her head.

"This is stupid," she said. "Hermione, you're licensed to Apparate, and Harry knows how. I can Side-Along with one of you and we can get to Romania a lot quicker and less painfully. I for one don't want to fly over the English Channel, especially in the dark, which is what you seem intent on doing, Harry."

Harry looked at her intently. She seemed to be serious. Even more alarming, Hermione looked like she was considering Ginny's proposition as well. Harry was about to protest when he remembered Ginny's outburst when he had at first forbade her from coming with them. He felt heat crest his cheeks. Had she really said she loved him, even after…

Harry was brought back to the present and the faces of the two girls looking at him. "Alright," he said grudgingly. "We'll try it. But you'd better go with Hermione, Ginny. She's the one with the license, after all."

He watched as both Ginny and Hermione nodded slowly.

Apparating was surprisingly easy. Harry thought that all the practice he'd gotten with Dumbledore the night-well, all the practice he'd had seemed to have improved his ability considerably. Before he could quite believe what was happening, Harry found himself landing softly in a clearing bordered by trees on one side and a steep rise of rock on the other. A small path wound up the rock face.

With a thump, Hermione and Ginny landed next to him.

Hermione, looking around, said, "This place looks like it's out of a storybook."

"Which is exactly why we've got to be extra careful," Harry said. "Lots of scary things pop out of the woods in storybooks."

As if to prove his words, at that exact moment, a girl walked out of the woods. All three drew their wands, but she continued to walk toward them, her arms out, palms up. She had hair the color of teak wood, braided down her back, and, as she drew closer, Harry could see that she had blue eyes.

As if in a trance, the three companions allowed her to walk up to them.

"Hello," she said simply. "I'm here to help you."

**A/N:** And before you start screaming "Mary-Sue!" and swear never to read another word of this story again, just wait and see. Things are not always as they seem. And don't forget to review.

Mucho amor, Ani


	7. Live Off the Army

By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 7: Live Off the Army

**Disclaimer:** All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There may also be references to other books, fanfic, TV shows, or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter Summary**: In which there are mysterious visitors, plots, and snogging.

xXx

Harry stared at the strange girl in disbelief. The dying sunlight caught in her intricately braided hair, momentarily dazzling him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione's mouth turn down in a frown as she clutched her wand.

"Hello," the girl said again, smiling around at them all. "My name is Evangeline."

As she spoke, the sun dropped behind the wall of cliffs before them and plunged them into darkness.

"Lumos," Harry whispered, and heard two other voices echo his. The girl, Evangeline, was revealed to have no wand, simply standing there again with her hands out. Harry began to think that perhaps there was something wrong with her, or that she was a bit slow.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked, stepping forward, shining her wand in Evangeline's face. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to help you with your quest," she said.

"How do you know about our quest?" Harry asked a split second before Ginny's foot descended on his.

"I know more than you think." She smiled knowingly. "For instance, I know that soon another will join us here."

She smiled again, (Harry was really starting to think there was something wrong with her) and then walked to the edge of the clearing and lay down facing the woods.

Harry, Ginny and Hermione wandered toward the base of the cliffs, and, by unspoken agreement, as far as possible from Evangeline.

They huddled together, their wands pointing inwards, almost touching.

"I don't trust her," Hermione whispered immediately, shooting a disapproving look toward the woods.

Harry wasn't sure he trusted her either, but he didn't want to make that judgment too soon. "I don't know, Hermione," he said. "She's mysterious, sure, but she doesn't seem dangerous."

Ginny looked from one to the other before sitting back on her heels and frowning. "I agree with Harry," she said, but she didn't seem happy about it. "I mean, she doesn't even have a wand. What harm can she possibly do?"

"Plenty," said Hermione, sighing. "But I suppose we can't send her away tonight. What was that she said about someone else coming?"

"Dunno," said Harry, shrugging. "I guess we'll find out, though, won't we?"

There was nothing to do but huddle together, there by the side of the cliff, and try to get a few hours sleep.

When Harry woke in the morning, it was to the sound of Hermione shrieking in his ear.

"Don't come any closer!" she yelled. Harry opened his eyes blearily and started to sit up. Hermione's voice became slightly hysterical. "You know I'm faster and nonverbal spells than you. I can hex you before you can hex me!"

"Calm down, Granger," said a familiar voice. "If I'd wanted to hex you, I would have done it already. I just want to talk to you."

Harry was on his feet in a flash, wiping sleep out of his eyes and reaching for his glasses. In his peripheral vision, he saw Ginny standing up behind him.

"Malfoy," he ground out harshly, gripping his wand in a fist so tight he was afraid he'd break it in half. "What are you doing here?"

Malfoy smirked at him, actually smirked, and began strolling away from Evangeline and across the clearing toward them. "I told you, Potty, I just want to talk to you."

"Talk to us?" Harry choked out. "You want to talk to us? You don't want to kill us all the way you were going to kill-" Harry stopped. He couldn't say it.

For a moment, Malfoy looked disconcerted. Then his face smoothed. "Yes, Potter," he said, doing a credible imitation of patience. "That's what I told your bushy haired friend over there, and that's what I'm telling you."

It was Ginny who gathered herself together first. "What do you want to say, Malfoy?" she asked fiercely.

Malfoy sat down cross-legged in the middle of the clearing, pointed his wand in front of him and said "Incendio!" Immediately, a small fire sprang up on the grass.

"It's always so cozy to have a fire when you're camping," Malfoy said. "Don't you agree, Potty?"

"Just tell us what you're on about, Malfoy."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Fine. Now Potter, don't get the idea that I want to join your weary, rag-tag band, because I don't. But I'd like to stay with you."

For a moment, all three stared at him in shock. "You what?" Harry asked finally.

"Bit hard of hearing, the lot of you, aren't you? I said I want to come with you, to find the Horcruxes."

Harry didn't know what to say, but thankfully Ginny came to his rescue. "You actually expect us to believe that, Malfoy? You expect us to believe you've repented and want to help us now? And I suppose tonight after we've fallen asleep you slit our throats, is that it?"

"Have you been reading trashy muggle novels again, Weasely? I can't see where you get such ideas."

Hermione found her voice. "And I suppose she's your accomplice, is she?" She pointed to Evangeline, still standing by the trees. Harry was now almost sure there was something wrong with her.

"Who, her?" Malfoy glanced behind him casually. "I've never seen her before in my life."

"We're not gullible just because we're Gryffindors, Malfoy," Hermione said.

"And I've got one more good reason why you should let me stay," Malfoy said, sounding triumphant. "I know where a Horcrux is."

xXx

The werewolves began arriving en masse the following day. Luna had an excellent view from her spot tied up to a tree in the middle of the camp. Werewolves walked past her, and some detached part of Luna's brain marveled at the fact that they didn't look abnormal at all. They looked like regular people, like the ones she saw in Diagon Alley or the ones who had tea with her father during summer holidays.

A young looking werewolf with red hair walked by, and for a moment, Luna was struck with the thought that it was Ron. Then the werewolf in question leered at her, and she shuddered, wishing Ron were truly there with her right then. He probably couldn't anything, but she could talk to him, and maybe he would look at her the way he did that night at Hogwarts, with the snow falling softly down around them right before he ran away.

Luna closed her eyes, almost feeling the snowflakes gilding her eyelashes, then snapped her eyes open again. It was selfish of her to wish Ron there with her. If he was here, he would only be killed, and she couldn't bear that. Suddenly, Luna realized that of all the people that she couldn't bear to have die, Ron was at the top of the list, after her father. She wondered when that had happened.

xXx

Hermione couldn't believe he had the audacity to tell such an utter lie. "You do, do you?" she asked. "You know where one of the Horcruxes is?"

Malfoy didn't answer, only looked at her scornfully. Hermione scowled. You'd think that doing this, she'd have gotten away from Draco Malfoy at last. But apparently it was her fate to be followed about by him, teased mercilessly, until she died.

"Yes, Granger, I know where a Horcrux is," he spoke slowly, as though to a half-wit. "Ravenclaw's in fact. I can't think how old Voldemort got hold of it, but there you go. Never underestimate the powers of evil."

"I don't," said Harry, still sounding as though he was physically restraining himself from hexing Malfoy where he stood. Well, sat.

"You stay right there," Hermione said, deciding she'd better take things into her own hands. "Don't move."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Malfoy said, sounding angelic. He made Hermione sick, the smug little-Oh! She just couldn't stand him. And yet, he hadn't been his usual evil self during their conversation. Sarcastic, yes. Demeaning, yes. But there was something under all that that made him tolerable. Fear, she realized with a stab of pity. Draco Malfoy was scared.

Hermione shook her head, trying to clear it of these confusing thoughts. He was the _enemy_; she couldn't pity him. She pulled Harry and Ginny over to the base of the cliff where they'd slept the night before.

"So, are we letting him stay too?" Harry managed to choke out. "After he tried to kill Dumbledore, after he ran off, are we letting him come along?"

Ginny looked ready to back Harry up. Hermione spared a thought to wish that she wasn't still so besotted with Harry and would take her side once in a while.

"He's scared, Harry, can't you tell?" Hermione asked. "And that's what makes me think he's telling the truth about joining us. Maybe something happened; maybe Voldemort threatened him, I don't know." She looked beseechingly from Harry to Ginny, and saw Ginny's face begin to soften marginally. "And besides," she went on, "We need to find out what he knows about this Horcrux."

Harry snorted. "You think he's telling the truth about that too?"

"I don't know, Harry-"

Ginny broke in. "And even if he's not, Harry, there's no harm in listening to his story. Even if he's lying, we won't know any less than we know right now. And we might learn more."

Hermione could see Harry weakening in the force of Ginny's argument, which, she thought, was a true testament to the power of love, as she didn't find it all that convincing herself.

She looked over at the fire as Harry and Ginny began listing all that they did know about the Horcruxes. She saw that Evangeline had finally left her place by the trees' edge and had come to sit next to Malfoy. She turned her head away and joined in the others' conversation, just in time to hear Harry say, "All right, he can stay."

xXx

Draco sat beside the campfire, watching Potter and Company argue about him by the cliff. He wondered if they'd allow him to stay. Not that he had much hope of that. His melancholy thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of that other girl, the one he didn't know.

"Hello," she said, smiling at him. "My name is Evangeline."

"Draco Malfoy," he said shortly. He wasn't in the mood to engage in pleasantries with strangers at the moment. He looked toward the cliff face again. They were arguing. Granger, hair all bushed up and her face pink, seemed actually to be disagreeing with Potter.

"Well, will wonders never cease?" he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" The girl, Evangeline, sprang around the fire toward him, barreling into his chest and knocking him down. She took her time climbing off of him too, he noticed, unable to keep himself from smirking slightly. Apparently, the old Malfoy charm even worked when he was dirty and his hair uncombed.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"I thought I heard something in the woods," she answered, huddling close to him.

The next logical step seemed to be to put his arm around her, so Draco did so. The next thing he knew, she had reached her hand up behind his neck and lifted her mouth to his.

She kissed hungrily, moving her lips beneath his. For a moment, he was too stunned to move. Draco had kissed a lot of people, but no one had ever kissed him like that. It was so possessive, so all-consuming. But something didn't seem right, Draco thought as Evangeline pushed him down on the grass and straddled his hips.

_I hope she doesn't burn herself_, he thought muddily. Evangeline's hands were in his hair now, threading though it. Well, he couldn't blame her, really, it was luxuriantly fine, if he did say so himself.

Suddenly, Draco felt a sharp tug on his head.

"Ow," he said, breaking the kiss. Evangeline sat up, still straddling his hips. All the color drained out of her face. Draco craned his head to look above and behind him. Potter, Weasely and Granger stood staring down at what must seem to an outside observer to be an entirely wanton display.

"Whoops," Evangeline said.

For a moment, Draco thought he caught a flash of hurt on Granger's face, but the moment later, he thought he must have been mistaken, for her disgusted expression was evident.

"Oh, honestly, what do you expect to happen when you snog in the middle of a clearing, in plain view of everybody? Get up." She made a swooping motion with her hands. "Malfoy, Harry's going to lend you some clothes. You can't go around with us if you're dressed like a Death Eater."

Draco looked down at his sweeping, if tattered, robes and frowned, before realizing the implications of what she'd said. "You're letting me stay?"

"Yeah," said Potter, tossing Draco a worn shirt that must once have been Gryffindor red, but now looked more like rose pink. "Don't make us regret it, Malfoy. And keep your sexual exploits to yourself."

Evangeline, standing at his side, blushed. Draco was already beginning to regret snogging her. There was something about her that made him distinctly uneasy. He looked instead at the shirt in his hands. Then he saw the tag.

He thrust the shirt back in Potter's direction. "I can't wear this."

"Why not?" Potter sounded genuinely bewildered.

"I can't wear poly-cotton blend," Draco exclaimed, outraged. "I have sensitive skin."

Potter rolled his eyes and grabbed the shirt. Granger stepped forward. "I suppose we'll have to buy you something then. I saw smoke rise in that direction this morning," she pointed off toward the woods, "So there's got to be a town there. I've still got some muggle money. But you'll have to wear Harry's shirt until we get you something else."

"Fine." Draco sighed in a long- suffering way, reaching out a hand for the shirt. "But let's go right away. I'll break out in a rash. And besides, I look horrible in pink."

"It's red!" Harry shouted.

"No need to be so touchy, Potter. And maybe next time you get your eyes checked, see if you're color-blind as well. Come on, Granger."

"I'll come too," Weasely said, hurrying to catch up with them. "We'll need to get more food. And make sure Malfoy doesn't kill you," she added in and undertone.

"I can still hear you, Weasely," Draco called out. "Now let's go. I can already feel this polyester working its evil magic."

xXx

Harry shook his head. It wasn't fair that they leave him all alone. Even that Evangeline had traipsed off after Malfoy looking like a sad puppy. And Malfoy, he was being ridiculous, Harry thought, almost smiling. Then he remembered the look on Dumbledore's face just before he'd died. Malfoy wasn't funny; he was evil, and Harry could never forget that.

Harry was alone with his thoughts for a while; he didn't know how long, before Malfoy came back out of the woods alone.

"Malfoy," Harry called. "What are you doing? Where are the others?" It was suddenly clear to him. Malfoy had killed all the others off and now he was coming for Harry. He drew his wand. "Malfoy! Answer me."

Malfoy didn't speak, just continued to walk toward Harry across the clearing. Harry backed up until his back was against the stone wall of the cliff. He didn't know why Malfoy hadn't drawn his wand yet. Harry should have cursed him then, but he waited. Soon, Malfoy was only a few steps in front of him, then two steps, then one.

Malfoy moved even closer, bracing his hands on the rock wall on either side of Harry's shoulders. Harry could feel the other, slightly taller boy's breath on his cheek.

"Malfoy, what are you- mmph." Malfoy sealed his lips to Harry's, effectively cutting off all protests. Harry tried to pull away, pushing his hands against Malfoy's chest, but Malfoy only held on tighter, placing one hand on Harry's waist, the other around his neck.

Harry couldn't breathe and he could almost feel his lips bruising under the pressure Malfoy was applying. Harry flailed helplessly.

Finally, Malfoy stepped back, grinning like a just-sated lion. Harry wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, pushed his glasses up his nose, and glared angrily at Malfoy.

"Malfoy, what the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what, Potter?" drawled Malfoy, emerging from the trees.

xXx

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to Austin, because he wanted to see some guy on guy action (don't even try to deny it, Austin!) And how about some reviews, eh? The sooner you review, the sooner I update.


	8. See the World We Never Saw

By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 8: See the World We Never Saw

**A/N:** I'm so excited to be updating so quickly. And it's all because I'm procrastinating on doing my homework. Yay! I'm really getting excited about this story now, and it's nearing the end, so I'll try to keep the updates frequent. Anyway, on with the chapter. Standard disclaimer applies.

xXx

They flew until dark and stopped just on the outskirts of a small town in France to shrink their brooms and stroll into town as if they were merely two travelers looking for a room, not a werewolf and a boy on a mission.

Lupin talked to the man at the front desk of the hotel while Ron fiddled nervously with his cuffs. Once they were safely ensconced in the room with two double beds and curtains that matched the coverlets, Ron asked the question that had been preying on his mind all day.

"But how are we going to find out where they are; where they've taken her?"

Lupin ran a hand through the hair that now contained much more grey than brown.

"I don't know exactly where it is, Ron, but I've heard rumors of Romania. Once we get there, the call should have started, and it will lead us right to the werewolf camp."

"It sounds too easy."

"Trust me." Lupin flopped down on the bed nearest the window. "It won't be. And once we get there, there's still the matter of getting Luna out. But let's not think about it now. We'll have plenty of time tomorrow."

Ron climbed into the other bed, not even bothering to remove his clothes as he suddenly realized just how very tired he was.

But once he was under the covers, Ron's thoughts turned once again to Luna, for the thousandth time that day. He thought of her wide, unblinking eyes, silvery in the moonlight, reflecting the snowflakes overhead on that night that seemed so long ago. He buried his head in the pillow in shame at how he'd treated her, running away like he was ashamed. He'd never explained, never tried to make things right, to bring them back to where they were.

Ron thought of what could have been, if he'd stayed with Luna that night. He thought of what he was doing now. He was chasing Luna across Europe to rescue her, but what if she didn't want to be rescued by him? What if she wanted the kind of person who would have stayed with her instead of running back to Lavender Brown?

Maybe he shouldn't have come, but the thought of Luna, trapped and in danger, tore at his insides like a rusty knife. Ron realized with a jolt that this misery and determination and tangent hope could only be one thing. It was what he had never felt for Lavender, tried to feel toward Hermione and failed.

Love. Ron thought of Luna and saw love. Maybe it wasn't the quiet love he had seen between his parents when they had kissed in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, maybe it wasn't the passion he saw in Bill's eyes when he looked at Fleur, but it was something, and that something made Ron twist the sheets around his legs, furious that he couldn't do something that very moment.

He heard Lupin sigh and roll over in bed. He leaned up on his elbow. "Lupin?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"I can't sleep."

"I also feel restless. Perhaps, if you'd like, we could continue our journey now?'

Ron grinned, sitting up and throwing his feet over the edge of the bed. "Let's go."

xXx

Hermione stared open-mouthed at the two Draco Malfoys standing in front of her. She felt as if she was in on of those bad muggle mystery movies, and she hadn't a clue what to do.

It seemed as if everyone else was similarly frozen, because no one did anyone to stop him as the Malfoy who stood in front of Harry whirled on his heel and ran toward the woods, past Hermione, who stood in mute shock.

Beside her, the other Malfoy choked, and she saw that he was laughing. His chuckle ended when he saw the three stony glares directed at him.

"What?" he asked defensively. "You don't think I knew anything about this, do you?"

"Knew anything about what? What are you talking about?" asked Harry, striding over to them.

"Look around, Potter," said Malfoy, sweeping his arm around the clearing. "Try to forget you're a Gryffindor and use your brain for once. Let's think, who was with us before who's not here now?" He made a great show of thinking, and then snapped his fingers. "I know! Evangeline. Because clearly you should trust that the strange girl who appears has a good explanation for her whereabouts more than you should trust me, who you've know for six years."

"Hated for six years," Harry muttered sullenly.

"That shouldn't make a difference," Malfoy put in. "Besides," he added, "she stole a piece of my hair while we were snogging." HE looked around triumphantly, as if this new evidence sealed the deal.

Harry looked as though he were about to have strong hysterics. "But how do we know you're really you and not an imposter?"

Malfoy sent him a withering glance. "Honestly, Potter, you really think I'd want to kiss you. The very thought disgusts me."

Harry looked as though he had never considered this possibility. Hermione giggled at the expression on his face. Malfoy sent her a strange look.

"Well, what's your favorite flavor of jam?" Harry blurted out.

"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Malfoy, sounding bewildered. For once, Hermione couldn't blame him. Harry was not making much sense.

"Just answer me, Malfoy," Harry said through his teeth.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Blackberry. We get it imported from Italy."

"That doesn't prove you're really Draco Malfoy. You could be anyone," Harry was beginning to get that manic glint in his eye that Hermione knew meant trouble.

"Harry," she said placatingly. "You're being ridiculous. There's a very simple way to figure out if he's really himself or not." She drew her wand out of a pocket. "_Resolvo veneficus veritas_." She waved her wand. Nothing happened. "See? If he'd been an imposter, he'd have reverted to his original appearance. He didn't change. Ergo, he's truly who he says he is."

"He could have cleverly disguised himself using a charm that one doesn't reverse," said Harry, sounding a bit desperate.

"I think you need to go lie down, Harry. Ginny, go with him. I think the stain is getting to him."

Ginny left, dragging Harry behind her, with a rather amused look on her face.

Malfoy looked at her again. Hermione glared back, determined not to look down or away.

"Are you sure you want to be left alone with me, Granger? After all, I'm a hardened Death Eater now." His mouth twisted.

Suddenly, all the curiosity that had been pushed aside by recent events came flooding back. "Why did you come to us, anyway? If not to spy on us or kill us in our sleep, then why?"

Malfoy seemed to waver for a moment, then he looked at her seriously. "I'm not telling you this because I like you, Granger. I'm telling you this because I need you to trust me." He took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard the story of Regulus Black?"

Hermione drew in her breath. "Sirius mentioned it to Harry once and I overheard a little. Something about getting in too far with Voldemort and wanting to back out?"

Malfoy nodded. "Yes, that's it. He was told to kill his brother actually, blood traitor that he was, and he couldn't do it. Voldemort thought he was weak, and so did I, until it was my turn."

Hermione tried to speak, but Malfoy held up a hand. "Let me finish. You know I was supposed to kill Dumbledore. Now, I was never particularly fond of the man, but try seeing someone almost every day for six years." He began trembling and, not thinking about what she was doing, Hermione put a hand on his arm. "Watching them drink their tea in the morning, and sing the school song. Then try to picture killing them. I couldn't do it. The Dark Lord made it very clear that if I was to fail again, I was dead. It could have been you next, or Potter, or someone else I knew."

He put his face in his hands, and his next words came out muffled. "I couldn't do it, so I came here." His shoulder was heaving under Hermione's hand. After a moment, he shook it off and took is face from his hands, wiping away all traces of tears.

"What?" he asked, seeing the look on her face, which, judging from her feelings, was one of both sadness and wonder.

"Nothing," she said, waving her hand distractedly. "It's just, you're a real person, Malfoy. I never really realized that before."

He gave a short bark of laughter. "So you've decided to stop questioning my motives?"

"Yes," she said decisively, knowing it was true.

"Then maybe be can gather Pothead and the Weaselette and I can tell you all a story."

"I-what?"

"The Horcrux, Granger. Try to keep up." And with that, he ambled over to where Ginny and Harry sprawled in the middle of the clearing.

xXx

The werewolf women came to Luna just as she was wondering what she was to do until her sacrifice took place that night. With only a few hours left of life, Luna felt that she should do something, but she hadn't any idea what she wanted to do. There was nothing. So it was a good thing, really, that they come.

They took her to a small glen several hundred yards away from the main camp. There was a small pool there, at the base of a sycamore tree, at the end of a small brook that looked to be snow-fed and felt like it too.

"It is a sacred place for our people," said the one who seemed to be the leader. She had deep brown hair and eyes to match, and a face etched with years.

Luna only nodded and stepped into the pool.

They took her hair in their hands, rinsing it with a soft soap that smelled of violets and made Luna think of her mother. She thought of her mother again when she saw the white dress that the women gave her to wear. It was simple, but edged in eyelet lace at the sleeves, lace which reminded Luna of her mother's wedding dress.

She had seen the dress in her father's closet, tucked behind his work robes and pajamas, and it had lace just like this, lace like a unicorn's mane.

She thought of her parent's wedding, how beautiful it must have been. There was only one picture Luna had ever seen of it. In it, her mother was laughing, throwing her bouquet into the air, her father standing off to the side, grinning happily.

She thought with a pang that she would never get to see her own wedding, never get to live out all of the little-girl fantasies she had played at, there in the closet with her mother's dress. The sleeves slipped over her head.

She thought of Ron at Bill's wedding, and pictured herself standing by him in her mother's wedding dress. She pushed the vision away. It would never come true. Then she welcomed it back, spreading the skirt over her legs. If it would never come true, than what could pretending hurt?

The women brushed all the wetness out of her hair and placed a wreath of miniature lilies on her head. Lilies, the flowers of death and life together. It was oddly appropriate.

xXx

From the confident way Draco Malfoy walked toward them, you'd never know he'd been crying, thought Ginny. Yet she'd seen the way he'd bowed his head, seen Hermione's hand come to rest on his shoulder. She gave them both a speculative look. She'd never considered…

"I've been thinking," Harry said as soon as they came within earshot. "If that Evangeline really had polyjuiced herself to look like you, or whatever she did, then why did she do it? Why snog you, then snog me pretending to be you? It makes no sense."

Ginny had been thinking about the same thing. "I think," she said slowly, "that maybe she was trying to get us not to trust Malfoy, and to turn against each other too."

Hermione was nodding, and the boys looked thoughtful. "That makes sense, Ginny," Hermione said. "But the only reason I can think of for her to do that would be to make sure we fail to destroy the Horcruxes."

"And the only person that would benefit," said Harry, that grim look back on his face, "would be Voldemort himself."

"Exactly," said Ginny, nodding. "Malfoy, did you ever see her, um, around, when you were, um…" Ginny found herself at a loss for words.

Malfoy actually looked amused. He was a complete puzzle to Ginny. One minute crying, the next finding his status as a Death Eater funny.

"No," he said, taking pity on her at last. "I never saw her. But that doesn't mean she's not working for Voldemort. There were plenty of his followers I never met. And speaking of Horcruxes, would anyone like to hear about the one not five miles away from here?"

He smirked at the anxious looks on their faces. "Of course you do. Well, legend has it that Rowena Ravenclaw had a tiny silver dagger," he held his hands about four inches apart, "with sapphires inlayed in the hilt that she carried everywhere on a chain around her neck.

"Well, after she died, no one knew what had become of it until about thirty years ago, at the height of Voldemort's power, when a historian found it in a crypt somewhere in Scotland. Foolish man insisted on keeping it in his house, and he was found dead soon after and the dagger missing."

"Voldemort," gasped Hermione.

Malfoy favored her with a slightly condescending look. Not quite as condescending as he could have made it though, a small detached part of Ginny's brain observed.

"Of course. He hid it with one of his most trusted followers, one Fenrir Greyback. Now Greyback's a bit of an idiot, in my opinion, and not as respectful of Voldemort as he should be. He's got a plot to turn all the werewolves to Voldemort's side; I'm sure you've heard about it."

He sounded careless, but Ginny could sense the seriousness in his voice under the forced lightness, and by Hermione's frown, Ginny knew she could too.

"Anyway, Greyback thinks it'll increase the power of the sacrifice if he uses Ravenclaw's own dagger, which also happens to contain a portion of Voldemort's soul. Of course, he can't touch it for very long without it burning him, it being silver and all, but he's determined to try anyway." Malfoy sneered. "Stupid creature. He should have more sense."

"But how do you know all this?" Harry asked. "Surely Voldemort didn't tell you?"

"Obviously, I wasn't supposed to be listening, Potty. But when I saw Greyback come in all for a private audience looking all furtive, I knew it had to be important." He looked around at them all. "So, I know where the ceremony is happening, and I can take you there."

"Right," said Harry, taking charge. "How are we getting there?"

"Unless you brought a flying carpet, Potter, we're going to have to walk."

"Oh, um, alright then," said Harry, sounding a bit taken aback.

They had few supplies. All of the food they had brought fit into one pack that Harry donned, and then they were off, trekking through the woods, Malfoy in the lead. Ginny came next, then Harry, and last of all Hermione.

They walked for what seemed like hours through the never-ending trees, and the light slowly began to fade from the sky. When the reached a wider opening with a few large rocks scattered around, Malfoy motioned for them to stop.

"We're nearly there, I think," he said, looking tired. Ginny gathered that his life at Malfoy Manor had not accustomed him to taking five mile hikes through forests. "We can stop to rest for a while." And with that, he plopped down on the nearest boulder.

Ginny sat on another nearby, and Harry dropped to the ground at her feet. Ginny stared up at the canopy of branches, readying herself for whatever was to come in the next few hours. Whatever if was, she knew they could handle it. They'd been through more dangerous times before, she thought, thinking of the Department of Mysteries and the halls of Hogwarts teeming with chaos on that night in June.

Ginny felt a tickle on her feet, and, looking down, saw that her shoelaces were tied together and Harry was grinning wickedly up at her. She caught her breath. It was times like these when she couldn't forget that she loved Harry, and couldn't help but question why they couldn't be together.

She laughed, and stood up. Harry jumped up as well. "You are so dead, Harry Potter," Ginny tried her best to sound menacing. She leapt on Harry and tackled him to the ground, both of them landing in a pile of arms and legs on the forest floor, breathless with laughter.

Their laugher froze at the sound of a sleek, unruffled voice. "Well, he may not be dead yet, but he soon will be."

Ginny looked up to see Lucius Malfoy and six Death Eaters standing above her.

**A/N**: And there you go. Sorry if Harry was too horribly OOC up there for a while. I'm rather proud of myself for proving with Evangeline what we all already knew: that Mary-Sues are the root of all evil.

References: The charm that Hermione uses on Draco, _Resolvo veneficus veritas_, is the same charm Hermione uses is _Draco Veritas_, by Cassandra Claire, to reveal something. So that's where the idea came from.

The chapter titles from the last four chapters: Let's All Go Barmy, Live Off the Army, See the World We Never Saw, are lyrics from the "Army Song" in _The_ _Threepenny Opera_.


	9. Sacrifice

By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 9: Sacrifice

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill. All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There may also be references to other books, fanfic, TV shows, or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

**A/N:** This chapter if for Lunar Kasumi, for her constant reviews and encouragement, and for Alice, because I love her, and also I can talk to her about fanfic and confuse anybody else who happens to be in the room.

xXx

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked Lucius Malfoy silkily. "My own son. Dear, dear, Draco, what sort of riffraff are you consorting with now?"

Harry tightened his grip on his wand, but it was no use. The Death Eaters were behind them now. One, who Harry thought might be McNair, hoisted him to his feet. Beside him, Ginny, held by someone Harry didn't recognize, struggled and kicked, but the Death Eater only grabbed her arms more firmly and tied them tightly together.

Lucius took Malfoy himself, grabbing his son by the ear. Malfoy's attempt to sound cool and collected as he said, "Really, Father, I think you're overreacting," was ruined by the obvious tremor in his voice.

_I haven't seen him this scared since we had to go into the Forbidden Forest in first year_, thought Harry, with a sense of being outside himself. He was brought sharply back to earth by McNair tugging at the rope that bound his hands, forcing him to march forward. Looking around, Harry saw that the others were being treated in the same manner.

"I thought we'd take a little field trip," said Lucius. "A most interesting ritual is soon taking place nearby. Since I believe you are familiar with some of those involved," and here he gave an almost feral grin, "I thought you might want to witness it before we- how shall I put this?-dispose of you."

The sarcasm in his voice was palpable. Harry was almost heartened to see Malfoy's sneer as they were led away through the trees and wondered distractedly exactly when Draco Malfoy sneering had been a heartening sight.

Upon arrival to the werewolf camp, the first thing Harry saw was Luna Lovegood, standing on a marble block in the center of the clearing, her hands bound around a pole behind her back. The sight put him in mind of the pictures in his History of Magic books about medieval witch burnings.

He wanted to tell Luna to use the Flame-Freezing charm, but was unable to speak to her at all, as he and the others, including Malfoy, were led over to the edge of the clearing, where a line of smaller trees grew. Several more Death Eaters approached, bearing more rope, and, after taking their wands, bound the four teens securely to the trunks of four separate trees. Harry could see Ginny to his left and Hermione to his right, and, beyond Hermione, Malfoy looking as dejected as Harry had ever seen him.

Harry's mind was going into overdrive. He knew from their anguished glances that the girls expected him to do something, to pull some trick out of his sleeve and save them all. But Harry couldn't think, couldn't form coherent thoughts.

Werewolves began emerging from all sides, closing around the marble slab, around Luna, standing there looking so pale and afraid, and Harry sank into despair.

xXx

Luna stood on a marble slab that she didn't remember seeing in the clearing the day before. It was really quite pretty, with delicate veins of pink running through the rich cream, but she couldn't concentrate on it for long before the pain in her wrists distracted her. One sleeve of her white dress slipped down off her shoulder and she couldn't push it back up, no matter how she scrunched her shoulder, making her wrists burn all the more.

Then Greyback was walking toward her, emerging out of the circle of grinning werewolves, and Luna couldn't think of anything else. His right hand was wrapped in heavy bandages, and in his palm he carried a small silver dagger, holding it as if it was a holy relic worthy of reverence. She thought she must be in another of her nightmares, but she knew that she wasn't, knew that this was real, as real as anything ever was. Greyback stepped forward, closer and closer, until he stood directly before her.

Luna could smell the rotting stink of his breath, holding the promise of decaying corpses. She could only thank whatever gods still existed that at least the ritual had to be completed at sunset and not by the light of the moon and that Greyback was not transformed as he ran the flat of the blade down Luna's cheek, making her shiver. He drew the knife away, and then brought it close to her throat. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the pain, the rush of blood, she knew was coming.

Then Luna saw a swoop of color out of the corner of her eye, and then heard a voice that sounded familiar, as if from another life, saying, "Don't touch her!" and knew that she was safe at last.

xXx

Ron didn't have the least idea what he was doing as he swooped toward Greyback on his Cleansweep Eleven, shooting out a foot. He was as surprised as anyone else when his foot connected solidly with Greyback's hand, sending the dagger careening off to the right and skittering across the bare ground before landing at the base of a tree, by someone's foot, someone who Ron suddenly realized was Ginny.

It was as if everything was out of focus, like he was looking at the world through Harry's glasses, blurry and indistinct. Ron couldn't stop to think about what he was doing as he took his own pocket knife out of an inside pocket and cut Luna's hands free with it; he could only hope that it would work.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ron saw a flash of red hair and then a hand grasping a shadowy shine of the ground, but he was more concerned with the leering faces he saw closing in.

In a sweeping movement he never would have been able to manage had he been thinking about it, Ron scooped Luna up behind him on his broom and flew out of the clearing with her, depending on his instincts to tell him which direction was _away_. Luna's arms clutched at Ron's waist and he could feel her heart fluttering through his back, quick and staccato, like the beat of a minute hummingbird's wing.

Ron stopped the broom and tumbled off a mere twenty yards away from the clearing, as soon as he saw a break in the trees. Luna fell off after him, and Ron stood up then pulled her to her feet and into his arms. They were both shaking.

He kissed her roughly, and broke away quickly, breathing hard. He pulled her back into an embrace.

"I thought I would be too late," he whispered into her hair, not realizing his feeling until he voiced them. Luna's arms came up to clasp his back. Ron kissed her forehead.

"We really ought to be getting back," Luna said hoarsely. "We can't leave everyone to fight on their own."

Ron thought she was probably right, but couldn't force himself to move from that spot or that moment, and so they stayed, clasped in each other's arms, as the sun slipped over the horizon and the evening deepened around them.

xXx

Draco watched with detached interest as Weasley came flying in to save Lovegood, but he wasn't really interested. The way he saw it, this could only end one of two ways: either they would all be devoured by werewolves angry that their sacrifice had been stolen, or Potter would come up with some imbecilic, spur of the moment plan and save the day.

So that was how, he justified, he came to be a little bit startled (not scared), when he saw a curtain of red hair out of the corner of his eye, and felt someone begin to saw at his bonds with a knife.

He jerked his head to the side and saw the other Weasley plying Greyback's little silver dagger with vigor.

"Careful, Weasley, not only is that an important magical artifact that you should treat with respect, but you might cut off my hand."

"Maybe you hadn't noticed, but there are people fighting all around us. I'm sort of in a hurry."

Draco looked up to see that Potter and Granger were already free, and that the clearing was now the site of mass mayhem, dashed liberally with blood and gore.

Weasley finished with his ropes and stood up, brandishing the dagger and moving into the fray. Draco rose more slowly, rubbing his wrists. Then suddenly, Father was before him and Draco found that he couldn't run even if he wanted to.

"Well, Draco," he drawled. "It seems you have a choice to make. You can throw your lot in with the losers who are inevitably going to die tonight," he gestured around the clearing. "Or you can rejoin our master and rise to glory with him."

Draco looked around, eager to stare at anything but his father's face, so like his own, and yet so different. He narrowed his eyes. Something strange was going on.

He could pick out the Death Eaters because of their black robes, and it wasn't just Weasley, Potter and Granger they were fighting, but some of the werewolves as well. And even stranger, some of the werewolves were turning against each other, using untransformed tooth and nail, an action which accounted for most of the blood splattered about.

He made his voice as cold and cruel as he knew how, now, if ever, aiming to hurt. "You can't even keep your own people on your side, Father; you won't keep me."

He saw the grin on his father's face waver slightly, then heard a scream rip through the other noises of the night. Granger.

Without thinking, Draco tore off in the direction of her voice, leaving his father standing dumbfounded behind him.

Reaching the source of her voice, Draco saw Granger backed up against a tree, with no wand to stave off the advances of Greyback himself, stalking closer and closer, his signature feral grin firmly in place.

With a shout, Draco rammed his shoulder into Greyback's, throwing him off balance for a moment. Then, he grabbed for Granger's grasping hand and pulled her into the trees.

xXx

Hermione pushed the hair off her forehead with one hand, still breathing hard. Malfoy had not yet let of her other hand, clutching it tightly in his as if afraid that she would float away if he didn't anchor her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, sounding concerned, but also scared, and almost exuberant at the same time, and finally dropping her hand.

"I'm fine," she replied. "We'd better get back out there. I'd rather face Greyback in the open than enclosed like this."

Malfoy nodded, and they darted out from behind the trees. The first thing Hermione saw was Lupin, lying on the ground before her, hand over his chest as blood seeped through his fingers. Lupin looked up at her, pure hopelessness written on his face, and Hermione rushed to his side, pressing her hand over his, feeling the steady pulse of his heart slow and his breath become shallower and shallower as the fight continued all around them.

Hermione was so preoccupied with Lupin that she almost missed Ginny running past them, an intent look on her face, heading straight for the distinctive form of Fenrir Greyback.

xXx

Ginny didn't think about what she was doing. As soon as she'd heard Hermione scream, she'd started across the clearing toward her, but fighting her way through took longer than she had expected. By the time she reached the spot, Hermione was kneeling on the ground beside a bleeding Lupin, Malfoy standing over them, a fierce look on his face. Ginny looked past them and saw him, Greyback himself, almost reclining against a tree as if he enjoyed the scene before him.

A fury filled Ginny, so strong it scared her. It was his fault that all of this had happened. He had tried to kill Ginny, it was his fault Lupin might die, or Harry, or Hermione, or even Malfoy.

She saw the surprise on his face a split second before she rammed the dagger into his heart.

She held on and twisted it, earning her a howl of agony from Greyback. He raked at her bare arms with his long and yellowed nails, but Ginny couldn't feel it. She felt pure savagery invade her veins as she let go the knife and stepped back at last, and it scared her even more than her fury had.

All action had stopped around her, and Ginny could only hear an immense silence. Shapes moved by on all sides as she stood there, shaken, looking like mere smears of color on a smoky backdrop of grey. The world tilted around her and Ginny fell down in a dead faint.

xXx

**A/N:** Sorry it was a bit short. But review anyway? Just for me? Next, and last (tear), chapter coming soon, in which all will be resolved, hopefully to your satisfaction.


	10. Epilogue

By the Light of the Moon

Chapter 10: Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** All rights to the world of Harry Potter go to J.K. Rowling, etc., etc. There may also be references to other books, fanfic, TV shows, or movies in this story. All are cited at the end of the chapter.

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has reviewed and encouraged me throughout this story, and also to Marilyn, because I love her.

xXx

Luna finally stepped back, breaking their embrace.

"I expect we really should be getting back," she said, gesturing through the trees, where Ron could make out moving shapes and muffled shouts.

"You're right," he sighed, suddenly feeling foolish for running away when his friends were in danger.

They climbed back onto Ron's broom and were soon sliding to a stop at the edge of the clearing. The noise seemed to have reached a crescendo, and suddenly there were moving bodies all around them. One pushed into Ron hard, and he lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground. Fortunately, it was over in a moment, and he and Luna crept through the last trees just in time to see Ginny fall face down on the dirt.

Ron rushed to her side, Luna on his heels. He dropped to his knees beside her, and turned her over. "Is she hurt?" he asked urgently, to no one in particular.

Harry dropped down beside Ron, smoothing Ginny's hair back from her forehead. "No, she just fainted, I think."

Ron looked into Harry's face and was instantly ashamed. "Listen, mate, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you…"

"Ron." Harry put one hand on Ron's shoulder. "It's okay. You saved Luna. It's more than any of the rest of us can say."

"What happened here? Why were all those people running away?" Ron asked.

"Ginny," said Harry simply. "She killed Greyback. As soon as the rest realized what had happened, they fled." He grinned tiredly. "Guess they weren't much without him."

"Not all of them were with him to begin with, Potter." Ron looked up to see Draco Malfoy striding towards them, his blond hair ruffled and dirt on his face.

"Malfoy," he growled, making to rise.

Harry put a restraining hand on his arm. "It's okay, Ron, he's with us."

Ron knew he was goggling, but he couldn't help it. "He's _with_ you? You'd better tell me what happened right now, Harry, or I'll-"

But he never had to figure out just what he would do, because at that moment, Hermione's voice screamed from the other side of the clearing, "Harry!"

Ron felt bad that he hadn't even noticed her when he'd arrived, but he was soon distracted when he saw what she was screaming about. Lupin was lying on the ground, bleeding from his chest. His eyes were closed and he lay still.

Harry and Ron bolted to her, followed closely by Luna and Malfoy.

Hermione was crying. "He's still got a pulse, but it's weak. I don't know how much longer he'll be able to make it, and I don't know how we can get help out here."

Luna sat and put her arms around Hermione, who turned into her shoulder and began crying in earnest. Ron was glad she was there. He had never been sure what to do with a crying girl.

He knelt by Lupin's side and touched his hand. Lupin opened his eyes with what looked like great difficulty and fixed them on Ron.

Ron jumped back. "Lupin?"

"Ron," he rasped. "In my pocket, my left pocket, there's a marble. Get it."

Ron did as he was told and soon found himself holding a large glass marble with white swirls.

Lupin had closed his eyes again, but he continued to speak. "Now squeeze it. The Order….they'll come when they….feel it." His head drooped to the side.

Ron quickly squeezed the marble in his palm. After a moment, he let it go. A moment later, he heard a whoosh as the first person Apparated into the clearing.

xXx

Tonks pushed past him to hover over Lupin, checking his pulse and his forehead, before conjuring a stretcher and laying him on it gently, smoothing back his hair as she did so. A look of pure tenderness filled her eyes, as well as a few tears which she dashed off with the back of her hand. She looked at the other Order members, which included both Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt, saying "I'm taking him to St. Mungo's straightaway. Can you deal with the rest of things here?"

Both men nodded, then continued their examinations, Mr. Weasley's of his daughter and Kingsley's of Greyback

Harry, much as he wanted to stay near Ginny, to make sure she was alright, forced himself to look over Kingsley's shoulder. After all, Greyback had been killed by a Horcrux, and Harry felt that it was his duty to take care of it.

Kingsley whistled. "He's dead all right. Takes a lot of force to kill a werewolf, even when he's not transformed. Your little girl did good, Arthur."

Ginny was just stirring, blinking up at the world as though she'd never seen it before. Arthur supported her as she sat up, and she glanced at him. "Dad, really, I'm fine. How's everybody else?"

After she had been reassured that everyone was fine, and after Mr. Weasley had persuaded her to lie back down, Harry turned back to Greyback's body. Kingsley was carefully plucking out the hilt of the dagger.

"It's really in there good," he said by way of explanation to Harry. When he had finally removed it, Harry saw that the blade had been split in two right along the center line, and the silver was corroded as though it had been dipped in acid instead of blood.

"Well, that's one way to destroy a Horcrux, I guess," he muttered half to himself.

Harry knew that he had to keep the dagger. Now that he knew it was a Horcrux, he felt that he couldn't let it out of his sight. "May I keep it?" he asked Kingsley.

Kingsley, in the process of wiping the blade clean on Greyback's shirt, looked over his shoulder at him.

"We'll have to do some tests on it eventually," he said. "But if it makes you feel better to hold onto it for now, go ahead Harry."

Harry stashed it carefully in the inside pocket of his jacket and turned to face the rest of the group.

xXx

She was relieved that her father had gone to see Lupin. All of his fussing over her, though she knew it wouldn't come close to what she would get from her mother when she got home, was driving her mad.

So now, as she sat in the waiting room at St. Mungo's with Harry and Hermione, who looked tired enough to fall asleep right in the hard backed chairs, Luna, who was still wearing her ridiculous white dress, and Malfoy and her brother, who were glaring at each other like there was no tomorrow, Ginny thought about all that had happened over the last few days. She knew that she should be overjoyed at the victory for the side of light and proud over her own part in it, but mostly she felt tired down to her very bones.

The only thing that was keeping her from dozing off and jerking back awake as Hermione had just done was something so trivial, so inconsequential, that she felt bad even thinking about it while Lupin lay, possibly dying, down the hall. But she couldn't help it.

So she rose from her chair and crossed the aisle to poke Harry in the arm. She was marginally pleased to see him jump. "What is it, Ginny?"

"Can I talk to you, Harry?"

"Of course," he patted the seat next to him.

"Not here," she said, fighting to keep her voice quiet enough that no one else would hear, not that that was likely over the usual din in the St. Mungo's lobby. "Let's go someplace quieter."

She was grateful that Harry only nodded and followed her out of the lobby and down a tiled hallway. Ginny spotted a likely place at the end of the hall, and ducked to enter it.

Harry followed, looking slightly bemused. "Er, Ginny, what are we doing under the stairs?"

"I told you," she said, sitting down and leaning back against the wall. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Er, okay," said Harry, sitting down across from her and looping his hands over his knees. "What did you want to talk about?"

Now that they were here, Ginny wasn't quite sure how to bring it up. "Well, you know at the end of the year when you, erm, said we couldn't be together anymore because I might get hurt?" She cursed the Weasley blush for picking this time to manifest itself.

Now Harry looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, and then last week when I asked if I could come with you to look for the Horcruxes, why did you say yes? Wasn't that just putting me in more danger?"

"Would you rather I had said no?"

"No, of course not, Harry." She struggled to make her point clear. "But I didn't really expect you to agree. Why did you?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, really. I suppose," he sighed, a great gusty breath. "I suppose it was selfish really. I," he ducked his head, not looking at her. "I just wanted you to be with me. Ginny, you make me brave."

Ginny was touched by the open sincerity in his voice, but then she knew that Harry never did anything by half. "Harry-" she started. "I-that's…" Thankfully, he stopped her babbling by leaning forward slightly and pressing his mouth to hers.

The kiss was gentle, and short, and when they broke apart, Harry smiled at her.

"I shouldn't have broken up with you, Ginny," he said. "It's just, for so long, people have told me I'm the hero. I guess it just never occurred to me that other people could be heroes too."

Ginny laughed, hitting him playfully on the arm. "You're as arrogant as Draco Malfoy," she said teasingly.

"Not quite yet," he laughed, then turned suddenly serious. "So, Ginny, will you forgive me for not seeing?"

"Of course," she replied.

Harry looked more than a little embarrassed now. "What I'm trying to say is, Ginny, would you like to go out to dinner sometime?"

"If my mum will ever let me out of the house again," she said. "Yes, Harry, of course."

He still looked a bit unsure, and Ginny saw no other course of action but to kiss him again. So she did.

xXx

Luna knew what Ginny was up to, and she silently wished her luck as she watched her and Harry walk down the hall. Then she turned to look at Ron. He had kissed her in the woods, it was true, but Luna still had no idea, really, how he felt about her.

It was strange. With most people, Luna could figure out their emotions after only a little bit of observation. But with Ronald it was different. She couldn't tell. He was different in other ways, too. Even people she considered her friends, like Ginny or Harry, sometimes looked away from her when she said things. But Ronald always looked her in the eye, no matter what. It was what made him who he was. It was what made her-

But no, she couldn't even think that until she knew how he felt. That was another thing about Ronald, she decided. She cared what he thought of her. This was such a novel emotion that Luna stopped for a moment to enjoy the wonder of it.

Then she decided. She had to know. If Ginny could do it, then so could she. She scooted over a few chairs to where Ronald sat, glaring at Draco Malfoy. She waved a hand in front of his face.

"You'll strain your eyes, both of you. Nackfraters are quite good enough at that without you giving them material to start with."

He whipped his head around to look at her. "Would you like some tea, Ronald?" she asked. "I find that I'm quite thirsty."

"Of course," he said, and then walked the five flights of stairs to the fifth floor without speaking. Ronald seemed lost in his own thoughts, and Luna didn't want to break the silence. She heard muffled noises coming from under the first floor stairs, so she had a fairly good idea that Ginny's mission had been a success. She only hoped hers could go as well.

When they reached the tearoom, Luna ordered Earl Grey and then placed it on the table and faced Ronald.

"I would like to know," she said, feeling the importance of her words even before she said them, "What all the kissing has been about."

He sputtered and spilled his own tea down his lap. "What?"

"The kissing," she repeated. "First at Hogwarts, and then in the woods. I don't think I can blame Wrackspurts when it happens more than once."

Ronald grinned weakly, then took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for something. Then he said the last thing she would have expected: "Luna," he said shakily. "I think I'm in love with you."

If her tea hadn't been firmly on the table, Luna felt sure she would have spilled some too. Then she felt a curious calm come over her, the same feeling she got early in the mornings when she dreamed of her mother.

"Oh, good," she replied seriously, this time not knowing what words she was thinking until they came out of her mouth. "I love you too, Ronald, and it would be terribly inconvenient if I loved you but you didn't love me back and-"

Ron silenced her with a kiss, long and tender. When they broke apart, he smiled and smoothed a hair back from her forehead.

"You know," he remarked. "You're the only one who can call me Ronald without getting a punch in the face."

"Well, that's good too. I don't much fancy getting punched whenever I say your name."

Ronald bent down to kiss her once more and Luna's arms came up to wrap around his neck, feeling too happy and breathless for words, even if she could have thought of any to say.

xXx

Draco drummed his fingers on the hard plastic of his chair, feeling bored and vaguely insulted. Now Potter and the Weaselette and Weasel and Lovegood had all gone off to pair up, and he was left alone with a sleeping Granger. Not that he wanted to pair up with any of them, but he couldn't help feeling slightly left out.

He examined Granger sleeping in the chair across from him, her legs curled up under her and a few curls on her face, moving slightly every time she breathed. She really wasn't unattractive when she wasn't hexing people or bossing everybody around.

He thought back to the werewolf camp, where he'd dragged her to safety. He told himself that he'd have done that for anyone, even Weasley. But he wouldn't have held Weasley's hand there in the trees, making sure he was alright.

It was as these highly confusing thoughts were invading Draco's brain that Granger stirred, picking up her head and rubbing her eyes.

"Where are the others?' she asked.

"Oh, probably snogging happily in a corner by now," he answered bitterly. Really, why did no one except Voldemort's spies and possibly Pansy want to snog him anyway? He was very snoggable. He scowled.

"Malfoy? Are you okay?" Granger sounded as if she were worried about his sanity.

He gave his best scoff. "Of course, Granger, why wouldn't I be?"

She looked frightened for a second, then squared she shoulders and went on. "I don't know. I thought maybe you might be worried about your father."

"My father?" He was genuinely confused for a moment. "Oh, you mean you think he'll punish me for switching sides."

She nodded mutely.

"Well," he considered, then went on thoughtfully. "I suppose I'll just have to count on your great and powerful Order to keep me safe when he comes knocking on the door with a dozen Death Eaters and possibly Voldemort himself in tow. Or I could save myself all that trouble and just rejoin now. In fact, it's probably easier that way."

She turned white, and he laughed. "I'm joking, Granger. It's this thing that normal people do, sometimes. It's funny," he prompted her.

She smiled tremulously. "You, normal?" she looked at him under her eyelashes. "You wish."

xXx

A month later, Hermione stood in the kitchen at the Burrow, looking around at the late afternoon sunlight slanting through the window. It was the middle of August. Hogwarts would be starting up again soon, but none of them were going. Mrs. Weasley had been the hardest to convince, but had finally agreed that the safety of the wizarding world might just be slightly more important than Ginny and Ron's education. Besides, as they'd pointed out, Hermione would be with them, which meant they were bound to learn something.

She'd rolled her eyes at this, but she wasn't really offended. Now, standing here at the counter, all she felt was excitement, mixed with a healthy amount of fear. As if sensing her emotions, Malfoy slipped his hand into hers and squeezed briefly. She'd never thought that having Draco Malfoy beside her would be a source of comfort, but it was. She still couldn't bring herself to call him anything but Malfoy, and he still called her Granger, but she was happy nonetheless.

Hermione looked around the small kitchen, at all the people she loved. Outside the window, Lupin reclined in a lawn chair, chatting with Mrs. Weasley as she knitted a sweater for Malfoy. Slytherin green, as he'd insisted. Hermione sighed and reflected that he really hadn't changed at all.

Ron and Luna sat at the table. From the look on Ron's face, Luna was telling him all about one of her fantastical creatures. But his look turned to one of pure affection as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She stopped her tirade for a moment to smile at him.

Harry and Ginny were peeling potatoes by the sink, splashing each other with water and laughing. As Hermione watched, Harry grabbed Ginny around the waist and kissed her forehead.

She sighed again, letting her head drop to rest on Malfoy's shoulder. They had won. But it was far from over. There were still three Horcruxes left to destroy, and they would go forth, together.

_finis_

**A/N:** It's over! I don't know whether to go celebrate or cry in a corner. Well, in any case, I hope you liked it, and please review!


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